A Song Of Magic and Might
by itihas0
Summary: Harry,after a bloody war is able to defeat Voldemort and his army with Neville's help,but he didn't get the happy ending he deserves. Born in Westros with his powers intact along with Neville,will Harry play the game of lords or will he crush them.Will he finally have something he had always desired;a loving family.powerful Neville &Harry."Biarves Favours Se Nēdenka". NO SLASH
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

* * *

A thirty five year old Harry potter stared across the ruins of what was once the greatest of the magical castle . The place he had once considered his home. It was odd returning home after eighteen years. For Harry Potter the years had been interesting to say the least.

It was in ruins now; the result of the battle of Hogwarts. Harry and Voldermort had dueled here when Harry was seventeen. But he had realized at that point that he was still utterly outclassed, Voldermort has shown that night as to why he was regarded as the strongest Dark Lord of all time.

It was then that he had understood why Dumbledore could never defeat the heir of Slytherin , for no matter what everyone said about Dumbledore being the only one Voldermort ever feared , he knew the truth; that someone of Voldermort's power cannot possibly be afraid of anyone . As evident by his loss that night.

Despite having an ace up his sleeve that no one was aware of, he had been defeated still. The might of Voldermort and his army was too much. This then led him to think about his previous encounter with his arch nemesis.

The Battle of ministry, where he had been tricked by Voldermort to fall in his trap and Sirius had been killed. He recalled Voldermort appearing in the ministry atrium , the dark lord was about to end Harry's life but then Dumbledore had arrived.

- **Flashback** -

The two titans started dueling.

'If he were some muggle then he would have thought that two gods were fighting.' Harry thought

Those two wizards commanded elements like Malfoys commanded dobby. But just then the dark lord got the upper hand and had uttered an unknown curse the incantation of which seemed to be some sort of hissisng to everyone except Harry. It was in parseltongue and as such Dumbledore could not recognize it. The spell passed through Dumbledore's shield leaving the shield intact blasting the aged wizard away who howled in pain.

The dark lord then approached the fallen wizard but Harry, despite all the pain, got up and stood between him and the injured headmaster. This caused Voldermort to halt and he said giving a cruel smile

"So you will protect him now Harry"

"I won't let you kill him" the boy who lived said with as much resolve he could muster. The dark lord then gave a cruel smirk and disappeared .

Harry's scar burst open and he knew he was dead: it was pain beyond imagining, pain past endurance –

He was gone from the hall, he was locked in the coils of a creature with red eyes, so tightly bound that Harry did not know where his body ended and the creature's began: they were fused together, bound by pain, and there was no escape –

And when the creature spoke, it used Harry's mouth, so that in his agony, he felt his jaw move...

'Kill me now Dumbledore ...'

Blinded and dying, every part of him screaming for release, Harry felt the creature use him again...

'If death is nothing, Dumbledore, kill the boy ...'

Let the pain stop, thought Harry ... let him kill us ... end it, Dumbledore ... death is nothing compared to this...

'And I'll see Sirius again...'

And as Harry's heart filled with emotion, the creature's coils loosened, the pain was slowly lessening. Bolstered, Harry _pushed_ ... he thought of his parents, how they had with their dying breath tried to save him, how they also had, even beyond the grave done the same thing again years later.

He thought of Sirius again; how he had offered Harry a chance to be away from the Dursleys forever, a chance for a new life, and a link to his deceased parents, and the feeling in him swelled.

The creature suddenly let go of Harry as he felt an intense rush of emotion that a small part of him recognized as love. Harry then found himself in a void full of a roiling white force. In front of him was a black mass surrounded by a force of green and red.

The Dark presence, which was the soul fragment of Voldemort's that was lodged in Harry's scar, had been kept at bay by the Light Blood Ward that Lily Potter had cast on her son. However, as with all forms of powerful Old Magic (Dark or Light) this ward was powered by a powerful emotion, which in this case was love.

Unfortunately, Dumbledore had inadvertently weakened this ward when he, not fully understanding the nature of the ward, had placed Harry in a home where he was hated at worst and treated with cold indifference at best. As these emotions were the opposite of Love, the blood ward had weakened very slightly. It was enough for the soul fragment to form a magical connection with Harry

It was due to this after all that Harry could speak Parseltounge and also wield a wand that was a brother of Voldemort's.

This ward then was further weakened even further when Voldemort had used Harry's blood to regain his body. Thus the bond between the soul fragment and Harry became a bit stronger.

However in an ironic twist of fate, by using Harry's blood, Voldemort had become a sort of Horcrux of Harry's.

When being possessed by Voldemort, the blood ward had temporarily fallen as, unbeknownst to Voldemort his mutilated soul had nearly connected with the fragment in Harry's scar. However, they were not successful as Harry had pushed Voldemort out.

But all of this was unknown to Harry as he gazed upon the black mass. He could feel the power rolling off it, sinister and yet strangely intoxicating. He didn't know how long he stood there looking at it, was it a few seconds, hours, days or decades? Time, it seemed, had come to a halt as he gazed at what was in front of him before he reached out ... forever changing the course of the wizarding world.

Harry could feel the _wrongness_ of the presence of the mass in front of him and he knew that it had to go. At the same time, he could feel the power it held. It intoxicated him ... called out to the darkness in his very soul created by his less than happy childhood and the various encounters he had later on in his Hogwarts years ... and for the first time in his life, he _listened_.

The instant he came in contact with it, he felt the power rush into him. Immediately the dark presence that was enclosed within started fighting back, trying, in the process, to drain him.

But Harry wasn't dissuaded. He, with all of his considerable willpower, marshaled the newfound power within him and fought back. Harry also had a distinct advantage of a full soul, so the fragment of Voldemort's soul didn't really stand much of a chance. As the power flooded into him, it came with a cacophony of sights and sounds, disjointed memories and thoughts.

Just as Harry felt that he might burst from the influx of power and loose his sanity from all the foreign thoughts within his mind, it abruptly stopped. A bloodcurdling scream then shattered the abrupt silence as the malignant black mass in front of him disappeared.

Harry opened his eyes to find himself staring at the floor of the ministry atrium with a pounding head. The wet feeling on his forehead coupled with the coppery smell of blood and the pain in his scar told him that it had burst open and was bleeding. Harry then slowly and gingerly got to his feet using the wall for support.

As he got up, he absently noticed that a few wisps of a foul looking black smoke had come out of his scar. Disoriented, he barely noticed as Voldemort apparated away and disappeared with a weeping Bellatrix right in front of the minister and half of the ministry.

Albus Dumbledore took a moment to look at Harry to ascertain whether or not he was alright before turning his attention to Fudge, who took that moment to stagger forward white-faced, escorted by the golden statues animated by Dumbledore followed by his equally white-faced Aurors and an appalled Amelia Bones.

'He was there!' shouted a scarlet robed man in a ponytail, pointing at the pile of golden rubble that was the remains of the animated statue of the wizard that had trapped Bellatrix a few moments ago. 'I swear it was You-Know-Who Mr. Fudge. He took that woman and Disapparated just now!'

'I saw him too Williamson' gibbered a white faced Fudge,

'He was right here! In the Ministry no less,' Fudge continued rambling for a bit, moaning at the state of the Fountain before Dumbledore got his attention.

Normally Harry would have felt glee and taken a vindictive pleasure at the look on the Minister's face as he was finally proven to be right and not as the Minister believed "a deranged attention seeking liar trying to destabilise the peace in the Wizarding World by inciting panic". But Harry was too tired to feel anything. The loss of his godfather hadn't sunk in and throwing Voldemort had been rather taxing on his magic.

So he watched tiredly as Dumbledore proceeded to rub the fact that he was right all along in his own subtle way into Fudge's face before all but ordering the Minister of Magic to send some of his Aurors to apprehend the Death Eaters captured down in the Department of Mysteries.

Dumbledore then took the head of a statue and turned it into a portkey to his office (much to Fudge's impotent displeasure) and gave it to Harry.

Harry numbly took the portkey, and, feeling a familiar jerk behind his navel was whisked off to the Headmaster's office in Hogwarts.

An hour later Dumbledore returned and he stumbled a bit and needed Harry help to get to his chair . Dumbledore then shown him his decaying hand prompting Harry to cast a spell on it and the decaying slowed down .

Both were surprised by it and Dumbledore then asked Harry some questions regarding magic which they both knew that Harry should not have knowledge of . And Dumbledore has summarized that Harry was now armed with the dark lord's memory and knowledge .

But Harry knew better. It wasn't the dark lord's memory that he had obtained , rather the piece of soul had merged with the host . He didn't see the memories and knowledge from a third perspective , no it was like it was his own life and he recalled every bit of it.

The duo had then talked , accusations were made , things were broken and then Dumbledore revealed to him the remaining part of the prophesy .

Harry stumbled out of Dumbledore's office about an hour later, his mind a swirl of many different emotions; chief among which was anger, grief and shock followed by a deep sense of betrayal. Just a few minutes back Dumbledore had seen fit to finally open up to Harry and tell him things he ought to have known much earlier. Suffice to say, Harry was _not_ pleased with Dumbledore's earlier reticence.

At least it was a good thing that Dumbledore had taken nearly half an hour to come and then turn his world upside down, Harry mused. That had given him the time needed for him to gather his strength and adequately show his _displeasure_ , destroying half the headmaster's office was pretty satisfying to say the least. And considering what Dumbledore had revealed to him, Harry could really not find it within him to even come up with an iota of guilt for destroying all those stupid silver instruments.

Underlying it all was a rather peculiar emotion that Harry was feeling, he could not name it. Though if pressed, he would describe it as 'disorientation'.

As it was, Harry could scarcely believe that it was still morning. Right now, he felt like going to sleep and not waking up. Ever.

Harry started towards the Gryffindor tower only to stop halfway. He was in no mood for human company right now, much less the company of vapid, snivelling, immature teenagers. He needed to think, to sort out the mess that was his head. A place not many people knew about.

Pondering this, he finally came to a decision, and, mind made up, he directed his feet towards the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, where, after thinking of a peaceful place to rest and think, walked into the door which materialized on the blank stretch of wall opposite the tapestry.

Harry had stepped into the Room of Requirement to find what looked like a small meadow under a cloudless sky. He lay down on a slight protrusion in the middle of the field to find that it did not feel like what he expected the ground to feel like. It was as soft as his four-poster in the Gryffindor dorm; in fact, he would say that it felt even more comfortable than his dorm bed. It was a decidedly odd if comfortable sensation, Harry thought absently before turning his thoughts to what had just happened.

First was the fact that his godfather had died, and here Harry's eyes started to glisten; Sirius was the first adult in Harry's life who actually cared for _him_ and only him. Sure, he had Mrs. Weasley and Remus, but they weren't the same. Mrs. Weasley was his friend's mother and he really didn't know Remus that well comparatively. Harry wasn't blind to Sirius' faults, he knew that Sirius was a bit brash and reckless, and tended to act before thinking, and was also, Harry mused, slightly delusional and immature, but then again, he had been locked up for quite a long time, the Dementors definitely had to have an effect on his mind. _Either that, or insanity runs in the Black Family_ , Harry thought, thinking of Bellatrix and how sadistically crazy she was.

His mood darkened as he thought of Bellatrix, Harry scowled as he saw her sneering face in his mind's eye. _One day, I'll kill that bitch_ , he thought with malevolence imagining her form writhing under his wand in pain.

Harry abruptly stopped as he realised the rather violent directions his thoughts had taken. He didn't want to torture Bellatrix, did he? But a small part of him that he had not heard of before did. It craved her blood, the sound of her tortured screams; the satisfaction of watching the pain in her eyes as life slowly and torturously left her body-

At that, Harry snapped out of his thoughts. _What was that about?_ He wondered, certain that he had never felt that way about anyone before, and confused as to why he wasn't truly bothered with it. Shivering, he focused back on the events of the previous few hours.

Thoughts of Bellatrix naturally led him to the incident at the atrium where he had tried to use the Cruciatus Curse on her. They then moved on to the duel between Dumbledore and Voldemort. Harry felt awed by the power that was thrown around by those two wizards. _That_ , he thought, _was real magic_ Harry suddenly had a newfound craving to learn more to delve deeper into the depths of magic, to really see what could be done when one pushed the boundaries.

Eventually his mind drifted onto the aftermath of the battle and his subsequent possession by Voldemort. He shivered, that was one experience that he did _not_ wish to repeat! He still felt the aftermath of that ordeal. Though he felt ... different somehow ... as if that had changed him forever. He did not know why or how but knew that in his gut.

Finally, his mind then turned towards the events in the Headmaster's office. His mood darkened, Dumbledore had said a lot of things that had angered him. Directly and indirectly; first off was that thrice damned prophecy. Harry couldn't _believe_ that Dumbledore hadn't seen fit to tell him that before. Sure, a small part of him realised, he was too young at the time, and it was a heavy burden to place on anyone, much less a fifteen year old.

The duel between Dumbledore and Voldemort had definitely opened Harry's eyes to the harsh reality of what Voldemort really was like. There was a reason why Voldemort was considered to be The Most Feared Dark Lord in Modern Times, why people feared to even name him. Voldemort was _deadly_! Harry was lucky to have survived him thus far, he knew that Voldemort had underestimated him before. He knew that it was luck that had saved him in all his encounters with Voldemort. If Voldemort wasn't so hell bent on showing off and had he actually decided to finish Harry off, exchanging grandstanding and enjoyment for utility and convenience, and had he taken Harry as seriously as he had taken Dumbledore, Harry wouldn't have stood a chance.

Voldemort definitely won't be playing around the next time they met, this Harry knew for sure. _Guess it means that I'll have to find a way to ensure that he isn't at his best then_ ,he thought.

Harry wondered why Dumbledore hadn't made a better effort to train him. He knew that it would eventually come down to him and Voldemort, so why not do anything? After all, Dumbledore had taken a major interest in his life...

Suddenly Harry shot up as he remembered a part of his last conversation with Dumbledore:

 _Dumbledore stared for a moment at the sunlit grounds outside the window, then looked back at Harry and said, 'Five years ago you arrived at Hogwarts, Harry, safe and whole, as I had planned and intended. Well – not quite whole. You had suffered. I knew you would when I left you on your aunt and uncle's doorstep. I knew I was condemning you to ten dark and difficult years.'_

The last few sentences rang in Harry's mind. _Dumbledore_ knew! _He_ knew _about my home life at the Dursleys, and he did_ NOTHING!

Harry began to see red, there was an odd ringing in his ears as his mind began to rapidly process that information, discovered new associations not thought of before and reached new conclusions;

His first Hogwarts letter that had been addressed to his cupboard; that really was proof that if not Dumbledore, at least McGonagall knew! After all she did sign the letters personally ... how could she have missed _that_? His conclusion was that she _hadn't_ she was too intelligent to have, so either she was ignorant of the fact or she did not pursue the issue beyond notifying Dumbledore about it. Both scenarios weren't too comforting. He refused to believe the third possibility that she knew but did not care. That situation was too horrible to fathom.

Then there was the man in the purple top hat, Daedalus Diggle, and the woman in the green dress, Emmeline Vance. Harry _knew_ he had seen them somewhere before, and he realized then that he had and the significance; he had met them before he even knew of Hogwarts _so they have been spying on me for what looks like all my life, yet they did_ nothing _?_ Harry fumed

Then Harry had another epiphany; Mrs Figg: He had just found out last summer that she was a squib and in Dumbledore's Order. Unbidden, the memory of his encounter with her came to the forefront of his mind along with a part of what she had said;

'... _I'm sorry I gave you such a miserable time Harry, but the Dursleys would never have let you come over if they'd thought you enjoyed it...'_

'She knew too' Harry whispered to himself, horrified, 'She knew and didn't say ANYTHING!' Harry screamed out the last words.

At this, something in Harry snapped and he let out a primal scream of rage and anger, unleashing his magic out in a torrent of emotion. Wind whipped through the meadow and clouds formed overhead in the simulated sky. Wards flared up in the room in a bright display of colour as they contained the outburst of raw magic.

Finally, the stress and lack of sleep caught up with Harry and his rage subsided quickly. Drained, Harry finally passed out, all but dead to the world.

As Harry lost consciousness, his mind was still in peril. The soul fragment of Voldemort's within him had been destroyed; however, it wasn't a clean job...

The soul essentially consisted of a wizard's personality and his inherent magic. Now to get a personality, one needs to be able to draw from experience. Experience is a subconscious thought process, something that becomes ingrained in the brain. Basically they were what you'd call "muscle memory". Under normal conditions, had Harry not flown into a fit of rage and all but drained his magic completely, what little magic that had remained in his body after his various battles with the Death Eaters and Voldemort would have been enough, even in his exhausted state (Harry was a powerful wizard after all) to wipe this off. Unfortunately, Harry's episode had caused magical exhaustion leaving his body with almost no magic at the moment.

As such, the remains of the soul fragment would be able to reassert itself, but still stay separate, essentially putting Harry back at square one. It would have eventually been consumed by Harry's soul as Harry regained enough magic to fight back, but it might have resulted in Harry being put up in a nice cosy bed in the permanent ward of St Mungo's.

After all, the general public opinion is that Schizophrenia isn't a good thing. And people that suffer from it are considered to be a danger to society, especially if their alternate personality is that of a megalomaniac Dark Lord.

However Harry was lucky enough to be in the heart of a near sentient magical castle.

The Room of Requirement was designed by Rowena Ravenclaw with help from the other three founders (not that she'd ever admit that) to be a sort of control centre/panic room for the castle should it ever fall under siege from "those filthy muggle heathens" (Gryffindor's words, not that he-or any historian for that matter-would ever admit it) that populated the wide world.

It was in a way, Ravenclaw's contribution to the castle's defence should the need arise. Gryffindor and Hufflepuff had created the wards as a first line of defense, while Slytherin had decided that a basilisk would be a good last line of defense (never mind the fact that the bloody snake would be as much a danger to the defenders, but when you are anyway going to be overrun and burned alive at the stake, death by basilisk stare is surprisingly preferable!)

However, the wards worked like a charm (considering that they were a part of that branch of magic) and as such, much to Ravenclaw's disappointment (not that she'd ever admit that either) the Room was never needed.

Over the centuries, as the magical world became more and more secure and isolated from the muggle world, and the castle became more of a school than a defense structure, the Room's original use was forgotten and was used for more mundane things. Eventually as the magic within the castle and the room built up over time, and the castle became more sentient, the room also changed and evolved through time till the current result was seen.

The room was also in a really bizarre magical way, in the centre of the castle which was situated exactly over an intersection of four different major ley lines, (the actual reason why the Founders had chosen this place to build their castle) there was a good concentration of magic in that area.

The castle sensed that the wizard lying prone right at the centre of its very heart was in major distress and needed help. So it started pumping a small fraction of the magic within it to help the boy.

This helped in integrating the soul fragments into Harry's soul, changing his very nature by a slight amount. Harry gained, in addition to his previously acquired ability to speak to snakes, an experience in duelling, something which Voldemort had perfected during his younger years before his rise into notoriety. Harry would have to increase his arsenal of spells on his own for this to be of any use though.

Another useful talent that he had picked up from those soul fragments would also be the knowledge of Apparating as well. Voldemort had done enough Apparating in his life that he could almost do so silently and without much thought in almost any position. He had also done quite a bit of Apparating through moderately powered anti-apparation wards as well as under the stress of combat. And now, Harry too could do so. Not that he knew that at the moment.

In addition to that Harry also had gained Voldemort's mastery of the mind arts. After all, Voldemort had been a practising Occlumens and Legilimens practising the arts almost constantly ever since his sixth year when he had discovered that art.

Now the body is rather conservative. Harry's magic was basically the reason why despite his relatives' treatment of him he didn't look like a one of those starved refugee children from a war torn country. Most of his magic had gone into healing him and ensuring that his body was properly nourished. This had the effect of making him magically weaker, and also stunting his magical growth.

It was only because Harry was so naturally powerful that he still remained a wizard and the Dursleys' wishes of "beating the magic out of him" weren't realised. As such while he would be powerful, he would not be able to reach his full magical potential.

However, Hogwarts while sentient wasn't intelligent, and thus had underestimated the amount of magic that Harry would need. After all, "a little amount of magic" to it was more than enough power to make two squibs moderately powerful wizards. As a result of this, Harry had a lot of magic left over in his nearly empty core.

So his body used this opportunity and Harry's still growing core suddenly expanded so that by the time he reached his full maturity, Harry would be even more powerful than he would have ever been. There was also still enough magic left within him so that his body began to utilise it to take care of the last vestiges of malnutrition. As such Harry filled out a bit more so that he no longer looked pinched, but lean. His height increased by an extra inch or so till he was standing at a respectable six feet.

Hogwarts, sensing that he was still using magic to heal, decided to help a bit. The end result was the extra benefit of repairing Harry's impaired vision so he no longer was half blind without his glasses. Also, the numerous scars and bruises that Harry had collected till then healed over till they all disappeared. The notable exception being the scar on his forehead that instead of disappearing became lighter till it was barely discernible.

Finally, as Harry's body no longer had any pressing needs to take care of, the magical transfer stopped, leaving a much improved abet a different Harry Potter that now lay resting in the middle of the room.

When he woke up, it didn't take much for him to understood what had happened . He then decided his next course of action ; He decided to run away .

 **-Flashback ends-**

He had then decided to go to the island where Sirius had hidden during his exile. He had then cast a fidelious charm over the small island and then he had proceeded to perform a blood ritual that would ensure that no one would be able to track him. His next course of action was collecting his gold from Gringrots. He had emptied his vault, much to the displeasure of goblins. While the potter fortune was not extremely large but add to it the black family fortune which the goblin had informed were one of the richest families in England. he had then bought a 13 compartment truck and filled it with his fortune , potion ingredients , the books from the black library which Kreacher had somehow salvaged .

Along with kreacher , Harry taken dobby into his service .

He wanted to contact his friends and tell them about his plans and whereabouts but he had decided against it.

The next two year was spent by Harry honing his magical abilities. Although he did have Voldermort's knowledge , but it wasn't of use, it was like holding a very deadly sword but not having the required skills to use it and so that is what he had done. For the next whole year he had trained. He was amazed by the dark lord's knowledge . Harry thought that the dark lord spoke the truth when he had told Dumbledore;

'I have experimented; I have pushed the boundaries of magic further, perhaps, than they have ever been pushed'

So vast was his knowledge that it took Harry almost three years to master it all, despite already knowing it. He had discovered that he now had a desire, nay, a thirst for knowledge, to become better and to prove his supremacy . and then his opportunity had come when the news had reached him.

Hogwarts was under attack. An army of almost ten thousand had marched upon Hogwarts . And so Harry had decided to face Voldermort.

 **-Flashback-**

Harry appeared at Hogwarts, the battle was going on and Voldermort was winning. He spotted several professors and order members fighting along with many students. Dumbledore was fighting seven death eaters at once. Then they all felt the chill. The tell tale sign of Dementors approaching . Many stood still in fear no one who knew how to cast a patronus properly were able to produce one as they were all busy fighting . And hence Harry raised his wand and cast the only spell that Harry knew Voldermort couldn't .

A giant translucent silver stag came forth and charged headfirst towards the dementors , who then flew away . everyone was stunned further , For they all recognized whose patronus it was. Then the clouds darkened and Voldermort appeared and joined the fray . The battle resumed .

And the two fought. Harry's skills must have clearly surprised Voldermort as Harry claimed the first blood. For the first time in history, someone had injured the dark lord . This enraged the heir of Slytherin as the ferocity in his attacks increased. In short it went on for an entire hour but then Voldermort revealed his new ally or servant, he didn't know. A vampire pushed him back hard and Voldermort capitalized upon it but only the timely intervention of Dumbledore saved him. And the injured dark lord had retreated.

Dumbledore succumbed to his injuries and his previous decaying curse. But before dying he talked with Harry in private and told him about the deathly hollows and gave him the resurrection stone and had asked him to disarm the headmaster, thus Harry obtained the allegiance of the elder wand.

It was then that he delivered shocking news, apparently the vampire with Voldermort was no ordinary vampire but the first vampire, the eldest of them all, the one from whom all the vampires have come forth and hence he was truly immortal. And then the old wizard breathed his last.

 **-Flashback ends-**

Harry had immediately left, yet again. He knew he could not fight both Voldermort and the elder vampire. He had left England. After a few days he was joined by Fawkes , who didn't bond with Harry as a familiar but was probably there to aid him as Dumbledore's last wish. He knew he required more training, more knowledge to beat his foes . He then looked for magic that Voldermort had not explored and even some he was unaware of and as such He had then sought out Olivander and had requested him to teach him the art of wand crafting , something the ancient wizard was reluctant to do , but he was not the same brash and fool Harry potter , he was a more cunning and sneaky Harry potter . Silver tongue was one thing he had developed after the merging off souls. And as such he had been able to convince Olivander to teach him and Harry had become a good wand crafter in just two years

Then he had travelled to Sweden, and took temporary shelter in an all wizarding town in Sweden. There Harry had for the first time saw wizards using staffs. And it had intrigued him. He had then sought out a master to teach him. And the stiff wizard had taught him how to use one, along with how to use a sword. But Harry was not of strong built and as such he wasn't very good at it.

After staying there for a year He should have left Sweden but he needed to lay low and also plan his next move . But then the art of making ships had got his attention and interest . after all legends like flying Dutchmen were based on wizarding ships , he remembered the ship in which dumstrang students had arrived , and as such he had decided to pursue it . He knew it was not a skill that would aid him in his goal but he did it none the less. After 4 months with a bit of gold he had built his own ship,the huge ship which can reach to fifty knots , armed with magical canons .

But like every good thing , his time at Sweden and his ship came to an end when the death eaters had attached the town square . Harry had to flee to France and fortune had smiled upon him again as in France he had met the Flamels, living out the last years of their lives after the destruction of their philosopher's stone .

It was here that he had obtained the access to all those obscure and ancient tomes which the Flamel's had claimed were considered a thousand year old even when they were young. There weren't that many tomes, but they all contained very complex magic and as such his progress with them was slow . but one day Nicholas had informed him that Voldermort's presence was spreading even in France and as such Harry should leave France . They had allowed him to take their books with them along with the last three vials of the elixir of life.

Harry had at the age of twenty two ,then left Europe altogether, Voldermort's rein was getting wider every day. He had travelled across the pond and approached a group of shamans he knew about from Voldermort's knowledge . The chief of shamans had refused to teach Voldermort and had even been able to banish him. And as such he wanted to learn this magic , another magic that Voldermort didn't know. He knew the shamans wouldn't have taught him either and as such he had conjured a plan.

He had captured a verpula , one of the deadliest magical snake and had convinced it to attack the tribe when the elders were away . And the snake had struck , while it was no basilisk , it still was enough to scare the wits out of children and women , who were clearly not the warriors or that good at magic. And as planned it was then that Harry had made his entry and had commanded the velpora to halt and well , he had killed it too.

When the elders and chief of the tribe returned and upon learning of everything that had transpired , he had offered Harry a boon, anything he desired . Grinning inwardly at his success, he had asked the chief to teach him all kind of magic the shams knew , the chief and rest of the elders had been uncomfortable with this but apparently they took life debts and oaths very seriously .

And thus had begun Harry's training in shamanic magic, elemental magic that would make Dumbledore and Voldermort's duel at ministry look like a first year squabble . Soul magic and the most useful art ; potions. He had gotten the shock of his life when he had seen the advancement the wizards of America had made in potions . they were years ahead of their eastern brethren . he had even collected the potion ingredients and the seed to grow them and stored them in his trunk under stasis charm .

It was here that Hedwig was injured , though Harry had healed her with Fawkes tears , he had realized the danger that Hedwig was constantly in and as such his next step was not to strengthen himself but Hedwig also . He knew there was a ritual that would not only give Hedwig more powers but will also make her invulnerable . Hedwig was his constant in the wizarding world and he couldn't bear loosing her.

He hand then went on mission to acquire the necessary ingredients for the ritual, he had hunted down a Nemean lion in Greece and salvaged its impenetrable pelt. He had then captured a Gorgon , alive . Obtaining reem's blood was the easiest, although getting dragon's blood was a bit difficult. he had then went on one of the most dangerous mission of his life , capturing a Raiju , a beast in the shape of a fox , composed entirely of lightening and the only reason he was able to capture it was with fwakes help , as both the mythical creature had fought , Raiju giving a cry that sounded like thunder and it was almost a tie when Harry had intervened and captured it. and lastly he had captured a pure yeti , the creatures control over ice was astounding . He had used one of the three vials of elixir of life for the Ritual . But the most difficult was obtaining the blood of a unicorn willingly , otherwise the ritual would not be as powerful . And for that Harry had taken a risk and returned to Hogwarts , and fortunately the pack of unicorns remembered him as one who had tried to help a dying unicorn back in his first year and had given him a vial of blood willingly . And lastly he had asked fawkes to aid him in the ritual, as a medium of transfer of power during the ritual otherwise Hedwig would have not been able to contain that much magic and power

The result was obvious too , Hedwig had turned into an avian very similarly to Fawkes , the only difference was that her feathers were pure white , with an ethereal Silver glow to her ; a result of willingly given unicorn blood.. She was invulnerable to all attacks , magical or mundane thanks to the Nemean lion's pelt. Reem's blood had giver her strength and stamina which Harry had later realized was even more than Fawkes. But unlike Fawkes , she was now a creature of ice and lightening gained from the sacrifice of the yeti and raiju . Hedwig could summon a snow blizzard , could lower the temperature to many degrees below zero , could whip up a storm similar to a thunderbird . And lastly , as a result of fwakes and unicorn's blood , Hedwig was also immune to the killing curse , which Harry was too glad for . It was years after that Harry had discovered that just like a gorgon , tears from her left eye , which possessed a grayish color was the most lethal venom available , even more lethal than basilisk venom and even Fawkes tears could not counter it , the only antidote was Hedwig's tears from the right eye , which were of golden color and capable of curing and poison ,disease or heal every defect in one's body .

It was then that Harry was contemplating his next move when he had thought about a secret settlement of monks in Tibet. They were very careful and as such there were wards over that place to ensure than if anyone wanted to enter they have to leave all of their belongings outside , even their weapons, wands included. But Harry had considered the gamble necessary .

He was immediately accepted as a student , as very rarely does anyone abandons everything in their quest of knowledge . This venture was the most profitable for Harry . Here , first he had learn mind arts, while the monks had commented that Harry's mind was very powerful , they had taken him to another level . They had trained him to use his mind as a foci . his senses had honed , his memory had literally quadrupled and lastly he had learned how to use his eyes as a foci for magic. To cast imperious curse , cruciatic curse and instilling fear in the mind of others just by looking in their eyes .

His next part of training was healing, the monks were the best healers in the world . Voldermort was a crappy healer and as such Harry had crammed every bit like a hungry child . He was proud to say that now he could have healed even Dumbledore after the battle with his skills.

It was here that he had successfully completed his Animagus transformation ; with the help of a very helpful ritual, the monks had assured him that his form will be of a magical animal. And true to their words he had turned into a direwolf. A giant 7 feet tall direwolf, with black fur and impenetrable skin . the benefit of the ritual was that the powers of his animagus form was available to him , even in his human form

Next step of his training was martial arts , an Aryan wizard who said he was a master of karapatayum; the father of all martial arts, it had taken Harry two years to master every form of weapon and many hand to hand combats. But the he had found one thing that came to him as naturally as flying ; Archery .

His trainer had commented that it was as if he was the reincarnation of some ancient magical archer. Harry could even shoot bulls eyes with his eyes closed . so happy was his trainer with this skill that he had given him a bow. The bow was magical , if one pulls the string then an arrow would materialize , made up of light and the arrows even defied laws of physics , like gravity . he had then given him a coin. A coin that had weird symbols on it and had told him to take it to the goblin king in Russia and tell him to teach him everything about weapon forging , wards and enchantments and crafting and he had assured Harry that they would comply with it .

After five years he had left the monks with a parting gift ; a vial of elixir of life .

His next destination as Russia. He had approached the goblin king and had given him that coin. The gobbling had asked Harry, '' what service do you require?''.

And Harry had asked him to teach him every art , magic or non magic known to the goblin kind. The gobbling had been furious at that but had agreed to his demands nonetheless . it was there that Harry had received the greatest shock of his life . he had come face to face with an old friend , perhaps the only one of his Hogwarts mate that was alive; Neville Longbottom . He had been working in forge of goblins . He had changed a lot , already during the battle of Hogwarts Neville had grown a lot , both in terms of power and physique but the goblins had improved him further in a way; six and a half feet. Broad shoulders, huge bulging biceps . every inch of his body was covered by muscles.

Upon enquiring, Neville had informed him that was a slave to the goblin kingdom now. Apparently Voldermort had sold Neville to the goblins in return for something after he was taken captured during the battle of Hogwarts.

Harry had blamed himself for Neville's imprisonment and enslavement, but Neville had argued otherwise.

Harry had stayed there for the next three years and he had learned from the goblins many things . in those years he had gotten to know Neville better. He had mastered the art of forging magical weapons, jewelry ; both enchanted and mundane , a lot more ruins , warding and curse breaking . He had also learned how to make magical buildings , but he wasn't as good as Neville in that.

It was then that Harry had discovered that Neville wasn't a weak wizard , he was in fact a siphoner . Siphoners, are a subsection of wizards born a rare power allowing them to siphon off from other magical sources but the cost was that their magic was weak , despite having a huge magical core . but Harry had told him to keep it a secret as siphoners were considered abominations by many magical communities despite being born with their abilities and face harsh treatments when discovered.

He knew he could not leave Neville behind and as such before leaving he had all but demanded the goblin leader to free him , offcourse the goblins had refused , but when Harry had offered Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem in return they had agreed to it .

The duo had stayed in the muggle world for the next five years, during which Harry had gone through all the tomes given to him by Flamels which surprisingly contained the journal of the witch, Diana. The one who had turned her son into the first vampire .he had taken up studying architecture as well as cooking . it was during this period that he had discovered that his mother was a good musician and singer , the drive to have something common with his mother drove him to learn musical instruments and singing . He was an extremely great flutist and was good with a guitar and piano . He was also surprised with this development and extremely happy to inherit something other than his eyes from his mother . he had then recalled what headmaster Dumbledore had said in his first year

'aah music , a magic beyond all we do here'

And then Harry had looked for magic related to music and was surprised by what he had found. Apparently with a fcertain runes you can use music and musical instruments much like a foci of a weak imperius curse or any other particular magic

There had been even a wizard in ancient India , Tansen, the Hindustani classical singer in the court of the Mughal king Akbar, was capable of making it rain or set things on fire with his singing . offcourse Harry was nowhere near that level , but he could do magic through his flute, with a runic set engraven in it and effect the mood of people , make them go thrugh the emotions same as him , he had tried it out on muggles many times .

He had then performed the most dangerous ritual , created by himself , since he had the basilisk venom and phoenix tears in his bloodstream already , after convincing Fawkes he had performed a ritual , absorbing the powers of Phoenix , a Thunderbird , a Dementor.

From the Dementor he had obtained the ability to exclude an aura of fear and coldness when ever he was angry. He was able to fly for a short distance , but not at great speed . He could look into someone's mind for their worst memory or fear and make them relive it , he could turn water into ice , and blood too.

And from the thunderbird he had received the death aura , when excluding this aura , most of his enemies were rendered so afraid that they couldn't even twitch a muscle , his war cry as a result would render most men unconscious and a storm would brew if he were to roar to the sky . He could summon storms and lightening .

From Fawkes he had obtained immense control over fire and he could travel like a phoenix , but the greatest asset was the compulsion in his voice , that attracted people to him and the calming effect of his voice , Neville had once remarked that his voice was more effective than a calming draught . overall as a result of this whenever he would sing or play flute , he could generate whatever emotion he wish to inside his listeners , from hope to despair , from sorrow to happiness . he knew if he were to address an army , they would fight till their last breath for him if he so desired them to.

Neville too had pursued his passion , he possessed what is known as the green thumb , he was good with plants , magical and mundane alike . Harry had given him tomes from which he had learned how to grow trees and crops instantly with magic , how to turn a barren land into lush green fertile land . he was a proficient healer also , thanks to Harry's tutelage and with Harry's training he had turned into a very formidable warrior was able to defeat a dozen wizards at once , as Harry had gone ahead to train him in physical combat too , Neville was proficient in the use of all kinds of weapons , he could easily wield a greatsword with one hand which most won't be able do with both hands . Also apparently Fawkes had bonded with Neville .

But one night when Harry was out collecting a rare flower on a full moon night , he was ambushed by some werewolves , he was caught unaware, as these werewolves were bigger , way stronger and faster than any of their kind Harry had ever seen before and they were about to kill him when Neville had intervened and had saved him. But was bitten by many of them before Harry had conjured Fiendfire and driven them away.

But Neville was extremely hurt and had begged Harry to end him as he didn't want to live as a werewolf. It was then that Neville had performed the ritual , the same ritual that had created the first vampire , to prevent his body from going into the stage of transformation into a werewolf.

But Harry had tweaked the ritual a bit , as he had broken the ritual into arithmetic variables and had added the elixir of life into the equation and used his last batch of elixir of life . And result was that Neville became the first werewolf-vampire hybrid; powers of both kinds including inhuman strength and speed, well protected and highly intellectual mind , the power of compulsion and none of their weakness.

He was immune to both silver and wood. He was not bound by the curse of the moon and the sun. But the biggest boon was due to the use of elixir of life , which was that he did not have a need to feed on blood .

They had experimented with Neville's power for a while . It was a known fact only a wizard can be transformed into a vampire or a werewolf by a bite , and if a muggle is bitten , then he just dies before the transformation is complete .

Neville could produce both vampire and werewolf venom . his blood on the other hand was like phoenix's tears ; it could cure any injury . His vampire venom was lethal to werewolves and also the other way round. If he bit anyone they would turn into while his blood was in their body, then that wizard would turn into a hybrid. And if he bit a muggle, with his blood in their system then in both the cases , instead of dying the muggle's strength , speed , agility and reflexes would increase tenfold, not as strong as a vampire , but still way ahead of even the strongest and fastest muggle. But the downside was , they would be rendered unable to procreate further .

Also he could convert wizards into both vampires and werewolves, here too the hybrid was better than both parent species . while the elder vampire can compel anyone , including even other vampires; the primary reason why the elder vampire was so feared . And the werewolves have a certain sire bond with the one who bit them . combine them , then the vampires or werewolves made by him were extremely loyal to him foregoing any previous notions and allegiances , the muggles even more so.

Harry had felt that Neville was too powerful now , an immortal wizard, with superhuman speed , strength and reflexes , who was skilled in use of almost all weapons , though not as strong a wizard as Harry earlier , after his transformation, he had a vast amount of magical core at his disposal and though he was not as strong as Harry in magical prowess , he was quite close and it was a good thing that Harry's animagus form made him almost equal in terms of strength in his human form though nowhere near as strong as him, the only relief Harry had was that in his animagus form he was almost as fast as Neville .

Plus he was an exceptionally good at forging magical weapons, Enchantments, wards and curse breaking and was an amazing builder. he had said that he could build a castle like Hogwarts in about six months with a small labor, he could also create an army of loyal immortals; vampires , werewolves and hybrids.

Harry had a good enough reason to worry so he had formed a plan and had guilt tripped him a bit , leaving clues here and there , told him the story of Severus Snape and his betrayals to both Voldermort and Dumbledore . He had then told him the story of Peter Pettergrew, that had done the trick ; Neville had made an unbreakable wow to serve him loyally forever , off course Harry had refused vehemently at first but he was glad with the success of his schemes .

That was how much Harry had changed , there was a time when Harry would have never tricked anyone like this ,or like the way he had tricked the shamans or goblins least of all his friend ,nor had the wits or resources to do the same. but in the past eighteen years he had changed in many ways . were he was once repulsed by the murders committed by Voldermort and his death eaters , now he was certain he had killed way more people than even Voldermort . he had mastered the dark arts , even the unforgivable and now he had a thirst to prove his supremacy in every field to anyone .

And only then had he returned to England .

"I have located him Harry, he is in the death chamber in the department of mysteries " said a voice of his loyal companion from behind and brought him out of his musings and Harry turned to see him. A few feet away stood Neville . He approached Neville and put his hand on his shoulder and in a burst of fire they both vanished .

They appeared inside the death chamber and immediately they spotted Voldermort standing inside a runic circle , along with some hundred of his death eaters . Neville and Harry looked at each other and both nodded as they attacked the death eaters , Harry while immune to most magic thanks to his animagus form and the ritual which he had performed where he had absorbed the essence of dementor , thunderbird and fwakes

Whereas Neville took a more brutal approach, he was too fast for anyone to track and any spell directed at him were either absorbed by him or deflected of his mithril armour. He cut through them using his great sword , Swinging it with so much skill and power that it cut many in half . So when some 20 minutes later aurrors , unspeakable and some ministry officials arrived , all the death eaters , or what remained of their bodies were sprawled on the ground .

Seeing his elite force of deatheaters completely annihilated put the dark lord on edge as he regarded both the original candidates of the prophecy and he gave a slight nod and a figure , so fast that he was a blur raced towards Harry ptter , but was intercepted by Neville Longbottom , who threw him back surprising both Voldermort and the ancient being .

The elder vampire stood up and regarded Perseus warily fighting and then they both fought , both of them were a blur , too fast for anyone to keep track of their movement but if the ancient vampire was like an arrow , the Longbottom heir was like a bullet . Both were utterly powerful, they crushed walls with their punches ., if the former possessed the strength of a dragon , Neville seemed to be made of diamond, unfazed by his attacks . Quickly it became evident that Neville was not only faster but also way stronger as the next moment he had snapped his neck and bit him throwing his tattered body of the ancient being inside the runic circle, who much to Voldermort's astonishment started to disintegrate

And the Harry and Voldermort faced each other , his ritual still incomplete . They both fought like demons , the ground shook beneath them , the air was saturated by the powerful magic of the two mages , destroying everything around them , unleashing magic that the remaining order members and aurors were in awe of . so great were their powers that even centuries after the fight , it would be regarded as the greatest duel to ever take place.

And then Harry got the upper hand and killed the dark lord with the very spell he was so fond of , immunity from which had made Harry famous as a babe , but just as the spell hit the dark lord , another killing curse hit Harry and he knew no more as his dead body was flung towards the veil of death just as the runic circle drawn by Voldermort got charged due to the death of the ancient vampire and the powerful wizard started glowing golden .

* * *

He lay facedown, listening to the silence. He was perfectly alone. Nobody was watching. Nobody else was there. He was not perfectly sure that he was there himself.

A long time later, or maybe no time at all, it came to him that he must exist, must be more than disembodied thought, because he was lying, definitely lying, on some surface. Therefore he had a sense of touch, and the thing against which he lay existed too.

Almost as soon as he had reached this conclusion, Harry became conscious that he was naked. Convinced as he was of his total solitude, this did not concern him, but it did intrigue him slightly. He wondered whether, as he could feel, he would be able to see. In opening them, he discovered that he had eyes.

He lay in a bright mist, though it was not like mist he had ever experienced before. His surroundings were not hidden by cloudy vapor; rather the cloudy vapor had not yet formed into surroundings. The floor on which he lay seemed to be white, neither warm nor cold, but simply there, a flat, blank something on which to be.

He sat up. His body appeared unscathed. He touched his face. He was not wearing glasses anymore.  
Then a noise reached him through the unformed nothingness that surrounded him . For the first time, he wished he were clothed. Barely had the wish formed in his head than robes appeared a short distance away. He took them and pulled them on. They were soft, clean, and warm. It was extraordinary how they had appeared just like that, the moment he had wanted them.

He stood up, looking around. Was he in some great Room of Requirement? The longer he looked, the more there was to see. A great domed glass roof glittered high above him in sunlight. Perhaps it was a palace. All was hushed and still Harry turned slowly on the spot, and his surroundings seemed to invent themselves before his eyes. A wide-open space, bright and clean, a hall larger by far than the Great Hall, with that clear domed glass ceiling. It was quite empty. He thought that he was the only person there when he heard a voice

"Hello Harry"

He spun around. Albus Dumbledore was walking toward him, sprightly and upright, wearing sweeping robes of midnight blue.

"Harry." He spread his arms wide, and his hands were both whole and white and undamaged. "You wonderful boy. You brave, brave man. Let us walk."

Stunned, Harry followed as Dumbledore strode away, leading him to two seats that Harry had not previously noticed, set some distance away under that high, sparkling ceiling. Dumbledore sat down in one of them, and Harry fell into the other, staring at his old headmaster's face. Dumbledore's long silver hair and beard, the piercingly blue eyes behind half-moon spectacles, the crooked nose: Everything was as he had remembered it. And yet . . .

"But you're dead," said Harry.

"Oh yes," said Dumbledore matter-of-factly.

"Then . . . I'm dead too?"

"Ah," said Dumbledore, smiling still more broadly. "That is the question, isn't it? On the whole, dear boy, I think not."

They looked at each other, the old man still beaming.

"Not?" repeated Harry.

"Not," said Dumbledore.

"But . . ." Harry said,"I was hit by a killing curse and was flung towards the veil "

"Yes, one of the aurrors was a Voldermort's sympathizer , and upon seeing the dark lord about to loose he fired the killing curse at you "

"So I am dead, well ironic isn't , I too was flung in the veil , like serius" HARRY REPLIED

"Aah you see you could have returned back even after being hit by the killing curse , you see while the hurcrux inside you was absorbed by your soul , the connection between you and tom still existed . the killing curse severed that connection" he explained

"So I can go back" Harry asked

"Yes , thanks to your friend , you didn't fall through the veil, but he did unfortunately " Dumbledore said

"What " Harry asked in shock

"Yes you were almost sent through the veil but Neville came in between and saved you , but the momentum and the close vicinity to the veil pulled him in"

"So he is dead" Harry said dejectedly

"No"

"What" Harry asked in shock

"As much as I am loathe to admit it Harry , you had achieved true immortality , well not you but Neville " Dumbledore said

"I thought the elder vampire was immortal too" Harry said

"Aah that , no Harry he wasn't . he could have been killed too , the weapon with the potential was always there , no one just realized it . While the werewolf venom could only cause him excruciating pain , but the combination of the venoms of all thirteen bloodlines of werewolves was the answer to his demise ." Dumbledore said . Harry looked thoughtful when he said

"So the werewolves that bit Neville , were they.." Harry started speaking when Dumbledore said

"Yes they were the chiefs of each bloodline and Neville would not have survived the transformation , but then you performed the ritual, I must admit that outcome was one I had never taken into consideration when I had helped to create that ritual. His body was strengthened to withstand the transformation and he became the first ever hybrid, stronger than both parent species . but even in this outcome , he should have gone mad with power, blood lust and his two sides would have fought each other , destroying him in process . But you altered the ritual , you see it is a sacrificial ritual and the sacrifice to gain all the powers was the blood lust and certain weakness. But you used the elixir of life and offered it as a sacrifice and magic felt it more than equal ."

"you have come a long way Harry , you created a perfect specimen with the proper balance of both species plus his ability to perform magic as a hybrid is a magical being with Souce of magic to siphon from . You Harry potter really defeated death . but death always gets it's due and now your friend is gone" he finished. But after a few moments of silence Harry suddenly spoke

"You said gone , what do you mean, you said earlier that he wasn't dead"

"No , as I said, he isn't. do you know what the veil of death is" he asked and when Harry shook his head he continued

"It is death personified , anyone who goes through it , he simply dies and his soul is reborn , just what happens when a person dies any other way . it's a cycle. One stage after another ."

"I sense a but coming" Harry said

"But your friend was truly immortal and such he simply arrived at the next stage with his body , mind and powers intact." Dumbledore answered

"Where" Harry asked after some time.

"Oh somewhere, the runic circle drawn by Voldermort was to send him to a different world , but the death of the elder charged it , just before Neville went through the veil "he replied and then continued "you can either go back or you can follow your friend"

Harry thought about if for some time , he knew there was no one actually waiting for him back , all his friends and family were dead, for the last decade he had only one purpose ; to become powerful and defeat Voldermort. Now he really lacked purpose . Perhaps this new adventure will give him that . But he has to be careful , he would be alone in this new world

"Will I retain my powers" he asked death

"Yes , but you will be reborn in another body" he answered causing Harry to think a bit, it would be terrible going through childhood again , but maybe he could also enjoy his childhood this time. He then said

"You said that Neville arrived there with his mind, body and powers intact, what about me then, I will get a new body , I will retain my powers but what about my mind will I retain my memories"

"You are indeed sharp , But no , during rebirth the soul is cleansed of it's previous memories. Some remember , but only snippets, never whole ." he replied and Harry just looked at him with narrow eyes and then he said

"What do you want"

"What" Dumbledore asked in surprise

"Oh come on , you are not Dumbledore , you definitely want something , otherwise you could have just told me to go back . but no you want me to follow perseus . but that is not your main agenda . what is it do you want and who the hell are you?"Harry asked and Dumbledore smiled and said

"Ahh so you figured it out, well I am not Dumbledore , I am death and I have not form , I am not a diety or a god , I am just a phenomenon . A stage of life. And as for what I want , well I want the deathly hollows back"

"Why? And even if that's what you want , just go get it" Harry asked

"Well if it were that simple I would have gotten them long ago , but I have no form , I cannot manifest in any form and specially not in the mortal realm, whisper into the ears of mortals from time to time , yes. But that is it. As for your other question, well those items are extremely powerful. A stone that can call forth the shades of dead , in the wrong hands it could be very dangerous. Then the cloak , it literally shields one from death , abet temporarily. The wand while not as dangerous but still it amplifies one's attacks and is suitable for every branch of magic." Dumbledo-death said and then continued

"And you are their master , and even in your next life , you will bear the mark of the tittle of MASTER OF DEATH , and these artifacts will follow you and you alone"

Harry listened patiently and realized what it was that death wanted said

"Very well , I will like to bargain"

This got his attention and he said

"Go on"

"The cloak, I will give up the cloak for me to retain my memories and knowledge as well as powers ,both inherited and acquired plus you will allow me to bring one person along with me plus one atrifact" Harry said but the entity rebuffed by saying

"No , unacceptable , a physical thing cannot be allowed from one stage to another .In return for the cloak , you can either choose to retain your powers and memories or you can retain your body but loose your powers and memories . I will allow you to be accompanied by anyone of your choice to this life "

"Well then , let me sweeten the deal , I will give up the cloak and stone for my memories and knowledge as well as powers both inherited and acquired along with my body plus you will allow me to bring one person along with me, and no I won't give up the wand" Harry said but seeing the reluctance from death personified as Dumbledore he said again .

"You cannot retain your body , it's not that I am against it personally , but you won't be able to make this journey with your body intact , it's not that powerful .

"Ohk tell you what , my final offer , I will give up the knowledge of the ritual of making vampires, along with the cloak and stone. In return you will allow me to retain my magic and other powers , both inherited and acquired , which includes my animagus form , my ability to flame travel , my control over elements along with my memory . plus you will allow me to take one companion with me who you will allow me to talk to before I make this journey. In addition to that you will allow Hedwig and Fawkes to accompany me and Neville respectively and tell me about this world as much as you can and allowing me and my companion to see where and when I will arrive , And that is my final offer"

After contemplating it for a while he responded by saying

"Well that is acceptable, except that you will not retain your animagus form" he said with a sigh

"But you just said that I will retain all my powers, the direwolf is my other half , it's a part of me " Harry shouted

"I understand , but your new body will not body will not be able to handle the transformation , already there is only one child in this world who has a magic core big to sustain your magic and powers , but not your Animagus form , you can transform only once and that will allow you to retain the powers you received due to your animagus form , both ultra human strength and speed , accelerated healing due to increased metabolism and sharp senses " he replied but seeing that Harry was still angry and thinking he might call off the deal tried to placate him and said

"I will however compensate you, your family in this world has a long history with direwolves and you too shall get a direwolf companion , I will ensure that ."

"Very well, I accept" Harry said

"To tell you about this world. Instead of telling you about the known world, I will give you hints about the places that are still shrouded in mystery. Well the first is a land known as Ashai; the land of shadow mages , they are very few in number but they are pretty powerful. The Asshai'i are well versed in witchcraft and wizardry, and have a language of their own, used in their spells. It was The birthplace of dragons and the only magical settlement, but it is so cut off from the rest of the world that people know next to nothing about it; the next is Valyria ; Valyria, also called Old Valyria, is a ruined city in Essos. It is a long-dead city of wonderment, and was once the capital of a great empire called the Valyrian Freehold. It was destroyed by a cataclysmic event known as the Doom of Valyria, the smoke still rises from the volcanoes there and it is toxic and as such anyone who ventures there , never return. Then there is Sothorys ; the land of all the magical beasts of this world. And lastly the north; the land of wild magic but the place with maximum concentration of magic. The only place where you won't need to even charge the Wardstone as the earth will keep it charged ." he answered

"Anything else" Harry asked

"Well once a very powerful wizard gained immortality , but in doing so he lost his physical form and his soul was scattered across the abyss, he still whispers to some and soon people formed a religion around him. Also once a man appeased me and made deal with me , they sacrificed their identity and I gave him the power of metamorphagus among others and they are till date the best group of assassins, be wary of them"

"What are they called "

"ohh you will know , or they will know of you , after all you still carry the mark of being my master" he said and waved his hand and dobby appeared before and rushed towards him and hugged him and after a moment he said

"Listen to me very carefully dobby, we will be arriving in a new world , I want you to remain invisible and not contact anybody unless I am capable of communicating with you "

"yes master Harry potter Sir , but how will I reach you , the servitude bond was broken after you dies " he said in a teary voice to which Harry looked the death who gave a nod and waved his hand and the surrounding shimmered and they now stood inside a small room , which looked like it was Build by grey stones , two men were talking in hushed tone . One appeared to be in his early twenties , he was tall with broad shoulders, brown hair and grey eyes and was quite worried .

The other one was a bald old men who wore grey robes and a chain of links made up of various metals around his neck, Harry was knowledge and wisdom in his eyes. He found both of them weird but he sensed the tension in the ambiance of the room and when the young man looked behind Harry and Harry turned to look where he was looking he found the source of all the tension and worry .

There lying on a small bed under the covers of heavy fur was a toddler , he looked extremely pale , his lips were blue and on the chair on the side of the bed was a lady , who was in tears and was knitting something with haste . Then the young man , who Harry guessed was the father of the child asked the old man

"Are you certain nothing could be done Luwin ?"

"I am afraid no my lord, the boy is already in the grasp of the Stranger , it is only a matter of when the Stranger claims him . I have never heard of any fever like this my Lord , first his body heats up so much , it's like touching fire and then it cools down so much as if instead of blood , ice runs through his veins , and I am baffled by this my lord , he was a healthy babe , one of the healthiest I have ever seen , for him to suddenly fall ill like this , it's as if the stranger was asked to take him personally ."

As the old man , Luwin went on , the lady started crying more and more and by the time he finished the lady suddenly got up and place whatever she was knitting by the toddler's side and moved towards the room . She strode past the two men, tears in her eyes and left the room.

The man looked at her retreating for and then at the toddler with unshed tears in his eyes and he said to Luwin

"Try your best Luwin , save him old friend" he said as Luwin bowed and left the room and Luwin started crushing some herbs and Harry asked the death

"I think when they said Stranger , they were referring to you "

"Yes , In every culture , in every religion one god is always present , the most feared , even races who do not believe in god believe in death . But death is the only certainty in life "

"The last enemy that shall be defeated is death " Harry said smugly

"Indeed , the motto of house Peverell , " he said

"So why show me all this ?" Harry asked

"Haven't you guessed , this is your new host"

"No " Harry shouted ," you said I will be reborn , if I take over this child , I will quite literally killing him , I will not do that to an innocent"

"You are partially correct , you see this child is already dying , the result of two powerful bloodlines merging for the first time in history , both contradictory in nature of magical genes they carry , thus this peculiar fever , but if your soul and magic were to merge with the already existing soul and magic , it will not only survive but the resulting soul and magic will be stronger than both the original ones ."

"Well at least I have a loving family , a mother who was worried so much about her child and a father who clearly loves me , plus the old man called him lord , so I will be born a noble , works for me I guess" Harry replied to which the Death gave a challenging smile which looked out of place on Dumbledore's face .

"So you accept ?" he asked

"Yes" Harry answered just as thunder rumbled outside and lightning flashed illuminating the whole room in blue light for a moment startling Luwin .

"well , your familiar is already here , so is your elf , better get this over with because the more time you take , more difference will be there between your arrival and that of Neville's" he said and Harry knew no more . he could only feel intense heat and cold fighting for dominance and crushing him and suddenly it all suddenly merged in a protective cocoon around him and then he opened his eyes .

* * *

 **So guys what do you think. i already have penned down another GOT AND HP crossover along with a PJ AND GOT crossover .**

 **Tell me what do you think of this story , do you think it's a fine idea? Any queries about the story just ask me in the review . And any suggestion you have , then also please tell me .**

 **Any guesses where harry is born as whom ? and what about Neville where is he ?**

 **PLEASE GUY REVIEW AND FAVORITE MY STORY AND SPREAD IT TO YOUR FRIENDS AND FELLOW READERS .**

 **PS- Some part of this story is from Teufel1987's Story "The Rise of Wizard" , with his permission.**

 **-Valar Morghulis**


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

Eddard Stark, a tall, thin man, that appeared to be in his 30's , stood on the balcony overseeing the training yard along with his wife , Lady Catelyn, a beautiful fair skinned women with long auburn hair and blue eyes with high cheek bones , as he watched the combat training of his son. His impassive face betrayed no emotion, but on the inside he was anxious as he watched his son of eleven namesday parry the attack of master at arms Ser Rodrik Cassle with his wooden sword.

After some time, Robb was on his back, after Ser Rodrik had hit his head with the flat of his blade , he then said something to Robb and he got up and looked in the direction of his parents .

"You have to be more aware of your surroundings Robb , now go wash yourself and report to maestro Luwin for your lessons" said Lord Stark and he then motioned for Ser Rodrik to come to them .

Lord Stark then looked at his wife fondly and said giving a glance at her swollen belly

"You should not be out in the open in this condition Cat "

"I know, but I wanted to see how Robb was progressing , plus with Sansa in Riverrun and Arya asleep , I didn't know what else to do" she said as Rodrik Cassle came to them and bowed

"My Lord "he said

"Rodrik , how is he progressing ?" Lord Stark asked

"He is doing well my Lord , he a good swordsman , although he is better with the combination of shield and sword, his defense is better than his offence , as such for some time we will be working on his offence " Ser Cassel replied to which Lord Stark nodded and asked

"What about Jon , I didn't see him in the training yard , actually I don't think I have seen him in a month " he asked and failed to notice the thinning of Lady Catelyn's lips. Rodrik gave a nervous glance at her and then said

"He hasn't come to training in the last month , not that he needs it , he is the most natural swordsman I have ever , plus it is not I who taught him the techniques , he came back from the wall as an able swordsman , I believe your brother said the he was trained by the best sword in the watch. I don't think I had to teach him much, everything came naturally to him as if he has been holding a weapon for years , from his grip to his stance , it is that of an experienced fighter . Even at the age of 12 he is perhaps the best sword in North . During the last harvest feast he defeated the likes of Smalljon Umber and Jorah Mormont along with Lord Karstark's eldest son . Men twice the size of him and more then thrice his age , including you my Lord."

Here he paused and gave a small smile and said.

"Lord Manderly said as I quote ''' it's as if the WARRIOR himself made him with the aid of SMITH who must have reforged celestial weapons to construct his body "" , and I can't help but agree with him , every weapon he picks , he masters it in such a short amount of time , it's baffling and his skills with a bow are Unparalleled my Lord , I don't think I have ever even heard of anyone performing the feats he is capable of with a bow , shooting a target with his eyes closed , just on the basis of sound, splitting his arrows in half with other arrows , it's as he is a Lord and his arrows his loyal vassals , following his every command , not even the Dothraki are said to be this proficient with a bow"

Lord Stark just nodded all the while , already aware of Jon's martial prowess , he knew Jon was equally proficient in using weapons with both hands , Benjen had already informed him about all of this .

"Is that the reason that he is not in the training yard, does he think he does not need to practice anymore ?" Lord Stark asked

"Oh no my Lord , he practices every day for hours , and by the time the town and the inhabitants of Winterfell even wakes up he is finished with his training " he said as Lady Catelyn frowned just as Jory Cassel approached them and bowed

"My Lord , My Lady " he addressed them

"Jory , what is it , you look perplexed " Lord stak asked

"A large retune is approaching the gates , some fifty riders , all appear to be soldiers , along with two wheelhouses " he replied

"That's not something that strange , what banners do they fly?" the Lord asked

"That is what has me perplexed my Lord, the display the flag of house Hightower" he answered which was not something anyone expected .

Yes maesters from citadel have been visiting Jon for some four years now . Archmaester Marwyn even lived in Winterfell , learning healing and human anatomy from Jon , and with Marwyn had come his acolytes . Catelyn had been against it as the archmaester and his acolytes would refer to Jon as 'my Lord', despite his status as a bastard . Ned was not a scholar , but he wasn't uneducated either and he was stumbled by the fact that learned men would refer to Jon as his Lord.

'Why would house Hightower send a party so large so far up north and for what?' Lord Stark though and said to Jory

"Admit them and whoever it is , show them to my solar, I will be there only , and also send someone to the library for master Luwin and Robb and tell them to join us in the hall , and also have Archmaester Marwyn and Jon join us , they are definitely here for them ."

Jory bowed and left as Ser Rodrick excused himself and Lord and Lady Stark were left alone.

"Now please answer me honestly my Lady as to why you hit Jon" he asked Catelyn , catching her off guard but after a moment she replied

"He beat Robb an-" she was interrupted by Lord Stark as he said

"He didn't beat Robb , he bested him in a duel , there is a difference , now tell me honestly why you did it"

"Don't you see it , He is good , he excels at everything he does , how long would it take for the other Lords to realize that he is a better alternative to our son , He has this charisma around him that draws people to him , people , noble and small folk alike listen to him and that worries me , I fear for a Northern Blackfyre " she said

He didn't put much worth in her paranoia , he had brought Jon with him from Dorne at the end of the Rebellion, and had at first been more than pleased that the boy did not resemble his father…had been, being the keyword here. As the boy grew it became abundantly clear that he had a very pleasing voice and an amazing skill in the use and harp . by now the denizens of Winterfell and even Wintertown were used to wake up to the melody that Jon played on his flute every dawn. He remembered when Jon had left for castle black for some time , the people of Wintertown had came in Flock to enquire about him and the lack of singing that they were used to listening to first thing in the morning. He knew Jon would sometimes go to the town and play his flute and harp and hundreds would stop doing their chores just to listen to him , only recently during the last harvest feast Jon had played such a sorrowful melody that even the likes of GreatJon Umber had cried .

The next was his fixation with everything, initially he had thought of it as a childish curiosity, but now he knew what it was, it was a zeal to learn everything, to be the best at everything, which is why he was mostly found in either library or the training yard. Maester Luwin had once commented that the boy had more thirst for knowledge than all the Archmaester in the citadel combined . He knew Luwin had sent some of Jon's theories and inventions to the citadel and they have invited Jon to join their order many times.

That was not all , other than a somewhat more handsome face than most, the boy seemed to have been blown out of Lyanna's nose, and more importantly out of his brother Brandon's nose. Jon didn't take after just any one of his relatives , no he had seemingly received the best of Everyone . He was extremely intelligent and had a great deal of interest in books ,

'Like his father' he thought bitterly. Eddard Stark knew that the wolf blood was circumstantially strong in the boy , for though usually he was a very quit boy , even more so then himself , but once he was provoked beyond limit , there was no stopping him .

'He is like the ocean , usually calm , but a destroyer once provoked benjen had said

He was rebellious like Lyanna , and like himself he took his duties and honour very Seriously . He remembered when talking about the gods which had turned into a debate between the old Nan and septa and the children had asked him and master Luwin about it, during the harvest feast nonetheless; which gods are real , the seven or the old gods ?

Everyone in the hall had given their opinion , most of the northern Lords had off course sided with the old gods , while his wife , master Luwin and Lord Manderly had supported the seven .when he had spotted Jon leaving the hall he had asked him the same and what he had said had left the whole house pondering and he was sure those words were etched in everyone's mind till this day.

"The only gods I worship are Honour and Duty "he had said , how a boy of eleven could come up with something as wise as this was still a mystery to him. He was proud of Jon in more ways than he could count but worried also , firstly his accomplishments were spreading to the other houses and he didn't want any attention on him, as that would raise questions . Second was his Lady wife , who loathed Jon's very existence .

"Your fears are unfounded Catelyn , Jon is an honorable boy and he loves Robb and Sansa and little Arya with all his heart , he will never usurp Robb . And don't ever hit him again , he is my blood and I will not stand him mistreated like this " he said in a icy tone to which she nodded and they both entered his solar and they were soon joined by master Luwin and Robb.

"Where is Jon ?" he asked

"oh he wasn't with us , there is no book in the library and my personal collection that he hasn't already read , the same could be said for the library at castle black , plus he has been spending time at Mikkens learning how to forge weapons for some year now , and I think Mikken mentioned last night that he was already forging masterpiece swords and daggers ."

Lord Stark nodded and told a Servant to bring Jon to the solar as he asked master Luwin again,

"A very large retune bearing the banners of house Hightower was spotted , do you know why they would come so far north and who ?"

"Good gracious , they can be persistent , they have come for Jon " he exclaimed but before he could say anything further the herald announced the arrivals of six people , four of them Ned knew to be archmaesters from their previous visits ;who entered the hall and bowed

"An honour to meet you Lord Stark , Lady Stark and off course young Lord Stark " one of them said

"How are you faring Luwin" another asked

"I am well Archmaester Abrose , but a bit surprised that six archmaesters would come so far north ?" Luwin answered

"Well since you were not amiable to our requests via ravens , I thought we will come and persuade Lord Stark in person , plus maester Aemon wrote to us about an invention of young Jon snow , the citadel is very interested in it ." Archmaester abrose said just as Jon entered the hall along with Marwyn and another maester . The two Archmaester were clearly surprised by Jon, his tall and broad stature , his hair and violent eyes that much to Eddard's astonishment would always glow. He was sure that the two Archmaester who were meeting Jon for the first time, were expecting a boy deep in his books not someone who was physically very fit and looked like he could a dozen men without breaking a sweat

Catelyn too looked at the bane of her existence and thought about the day when Jon had almost died.

-Flashback—

A clearly worried master Luwin interrupted them both in the dead of the night , by knocking frantically on their door. Ned got up and opened the door and was immediately alarmed by Luwin's state , he was breathing heavily as if he had run all the way to their chamber .

"What is it Luwin" asked Eddard

"Jon" he said panting

"What about him" asked Catelyn , clearly irritated .

"You must come and see , I can't explain it " he said , which got Eddard's attention as he quickly put on a shirt and both left. Catelyn too got up and wore a cloak and went after them and entered his nursery and what she saw scared her.

There laying on a cot , was a two year old Jon Snow , his skin was extremely pale , there was bluish tint to it and his lips were as blue as a winter rose . But the worst was that he wasn't even trembling , he laid still and a horrifying thought entered her mind that her prayer has been answered and she immediately felt ashamed.

Ned looked at the boy and touched his cheeks and pulled his hand back and inhales sharply , Catelyn moved towards the bed and she too touched him and almost cried out with freight . The boy was as cold as his Name , it was like touching a block of ice . But just then it vanished and when the next time Catelyn touched Him , she pulled her hand back again , for it was as if she had put her hand in a fire .

After a while a crying Lady of Winterfell sat beside the boy , whole night and made a prayer wheel , all the while cursing herself for praying for the boy's death

'I'd condemned this poor , innocent child to a horrible death all because I was jealous of his mother , a woman he doesn't even know ' she thought as fresh set of tears came forth. She sat there whole night and in the morning when her husband and master Luwin were talking , she kept knitting the wheel .

"Are you certain nothing could be done Luwin ?" Lord Stark asked to which the master replied

"I am afraid no, my Lord, the boy is already in the grasp of the Stranger , it is only a matter of when the Stranger claims him . I have never heard of any fever like this my Lord , first his body heats up so much , it's like touching fire and then it cools down so much as if instead of blood , ice runs through his veins , and I am baffled by this my Lord , he was a healthy babe , one of the healthiest I have ever seen , for him to suddenly fall ill like this , it's as if the stranger was asked to take him personally ."

As Luwin went on , the she started crying more and more and by the time he finished the she suddenly got up and placed the prayer wheel that she was knitting by the toddler's side and moved towards the room . She strode past the two men, tears in her eyes and left the room.

She moved towards a small Sept that her husband had built for her , it was morning already and she looked around and realized that the news of health of her husband's bastard had reached to the other residents of Winterfell.

As she moved and men and women bowed to her , she wondered if they would still respect her if they knew the kind of women she was , praying death upon a motherless innocent child .

'Probably not' she thought as she entered the Sept and knelt in front of the mother and prayed

'Let him live , just let him live and I will love the boy as my own , I will be a mother to him . I will beg my husband to give him a true name , to call him Stark and be done with it , to make him one of us , please let the boy live'

She then prayed to all the other six gods and left the Sept , when one of the Servant told her that Lord Stark was in the Godswood , she went after him. And she saw him , kneeling before the heart's tree , and for the first time in her life she saw husband crying .

"I am so sorry I couldn't keep him safe , I am so sorry that I couldn't have my Lady wife treat him well, I know she hates him , had hated him since the moment she set eyen on him , but don't punish me like this , I promise I will try better " he said , sobbing all the while and Catelyn wondered if he was talking to the gods or the boy's mother ; the women he choose over herself , the one he loved more than his own wife .

"Saving him is not in my hands anymore , but it is in yours , save your son , please" she again wondered if he was praying to the gods or someone else. She approached him and put his hands on his shoulder, causing him to flinch , he looked back at her and nodded as he got up and once again looked at the heart tree and said in a small voice

"Save him"

And that was it , it was as if the gods have heard him , at first it was just a thunder that rumbled , once , but then she felt it , even before she saw it, the temperature dropped all of a sudden,. Black massive clouds were coming out of nowhere yet from every direction; they looked just like black mist at first, but gradually merged. Dark clouds obscured the sun; they churned grimly in the sky as back as obsidian casting down shivers of light with a ghostly glow. Underneath the sun, the rain moved towards them like a wraith's wail of sorrow. A winnowing wind fermented and sighed, ripping the surface of the corpse calm sea.

"The gods are angry" Lord Stark said and she couldn't agree more , there was nothing normal about this storm , it was as if the smith was hitting his hammer on anvil .

"We must hurry , Lets go " he said as they moved towards the castle

Just then A jagged bolt of lightning ripped the sky in half and they began to run, wincing as each icy raindrop pierced her skin. The violent wind whipped her hair around her face and tears mixed with rain as a numbing coldness gripped her heart. Thunder rolled across the sky, seeming to crack the world in half and reveal the fury of the gods.

Finally they entered the castle when a Servant came rushing to him , she was obviously in shock, she could only mutter one word

"Jon"

And both of them rushed towards his nursery expecting the worse and saw some two dozen Servant outside the room , they were so stunned by something that they didn't even recognized their Lord's presence and when Lord Stark and Lady Catelyn entered the room they understood the reason.

There on the edge of the bed , stood the most majestic bird Catelyn had ever seen , it was right out of the fairytales . It as white as snow , with a silvery glow to it's feathers . lightening cracked around it and suddenly it gave a cry which caused everyone in the room , about half a dozen Servants and guards to drop on their knees, including Catelyn and she knew that she will remember that song for the rest of her life and so would everyone else and then a bolt of lightening emerged from the bird and hit the boy , and that was when Lord Stark unsheathed her sword and the bird gave another cry , causing even Lord Eddard to his knees and they all watched helplessly as the bird approached the boy's face and… and much to everyone's astonishment cried and it's golden tears hit the boy's lips and he swallowed them and in a bright flash of lightening the bird was gone and with it the storm , there was no trace of the storm other than the wet ground and some places where lightening had struck .

Shakily Lord Stark got up and so did master Luwin and Catelyn . They all approached the boy's bead expecting the inevitable; no one survives getting struck by lightning. But they were again surprised when the boy suddenly got up, and yelled

"Hedwig"

And then looked around in confusion and his eyes settled on Lord Stark and they were all surprised by the change in him. His eyes were the haunting shade of violet that she had only seen once before .

But that was not it , on his forehead, on the right side was scar in the shape of a lightning bolt. The boy looked at his father and his eyes rolled back and he fell back in his bed, unconscious , but seemingly healthily and quite recovered

Flashback ends—

She knew what the Servants and the smallfolk called him; twiceborn. They said that he was touched by the gods. Some believed that his mother was in fact a goddess who had sent her avatar to heal her son , it didn't help that the strange bird was witnessed by at least two dozen people , and rumors were bound to spread .

Only recently when the boy's martial powers were manifesting , and Lords across the north, even Lord commander of the night's watch , recognized him as the most natural warrior they have seen . And hence it didn't take long for rumors to spread again that the boy's mother had to be Ashara Dayne , after all only the nephew of sword of the morning, the deadliest sword, can be such a natural warrior.

She personally found merit in the last rumor , what else would explain his staggering skills with any weapon he touched and those haunting purple eyes , she had only watched Lady Ashara from afar but one could not forget those beautiful eyes , ever.

Then there was the matter of that bird, it was never again seen anywhere, only old Nan's stories that the bird was the herald of the old gods .

All these rumors had made the boy very famous amongst the smallfolk and even some Lords, who had confirmed the rumors about the bird and that storm from Lord Stark and the honorable Lord of Winterfell had to tell the truth . Not only that but the boy was well liked by the noble Lords and the smallfolk adored him . The residents of Winterfell were a different matter all together , the called him the blessed one , the blood of the old gods , and many other titles . This time even Lord Stark was not able to quench those rumors but he had still refused to tell her about the boy's mother.

As he entered ,the Serving girls who were Serving refreshments to the guests blushed when his eyes fell upon her. That was another thing that baffled Catelyn , though she knew her husband and his brother took great pleasure in the fact that , even older girls would blush and lose their wits at just one of his smile directed at them . Oh she knew that every evening the boy plays his flute near the town's square and girls would leave their work and go to listen to him. Although Catelyn had to agree that the boy was a very fine flutist. She herself would always feel refresh after hearing to his melodies. Even she had cried when he had played the harp during the last harvest feast , there was so much sorrow in that melody .

"My Lord , my Lady " he said and tilted his head downwards a little. He then looked at the six guests and said with a nod

"Archmaester Abrose , Archmaester Theobald ,Archmaester Dalon, Archmaester Norren , Archmaester Walgrave and Archmaester Ryam I hope you are well and I hope that the bandits that attacked you before crossing the twins were dealt with by Lord Frey " he said without a beat

"How did you know about that , we didn't send any ravens and I am sure Lord Frey didn't send any either" Archmaester Norren asked

"I have my ways " he said as he gave a smile

That was another thing that bothered Catelyn , the boy just seemed to know about everything , he would know about what has happened as far as Dorne , even her husband was baffled by this , she had considered that he might have a spy network, but then she had ruled that notion out , after all how can a boy of twelve have a spy network . The said boy gave her a small smile at that as if he had just read her mind. Another thing that baffled her; he would always know what one was thinking.

The old Nan had looked at his eyes once and had remarked that they were the all seeing eyes of an old soul. she was brought out of her musings when Archmaester Norren said

"Yes , our Gaurds were enough to handle them and they were handed over to Lord Frey ."

"Good " Lord Stark said as he nodded to Luwin who said

"I must ask what brings you all the way up north "

"well what else , we are here to pay for the most recent of Jon Snow's contribution to the field of knowledge" Archmaester Abrose said and motioned for a Servant to came forth who brought a chest with him and put it on the table and opened it and everyone exclaimed , for it was filled to brim with gold dragons.

That was another thing that grated Catelyn , when the boy was seven , she had accused him of being a burden on the household . And to her astonishment three moths later a rider had come with two thousand gold dragons and Maester Luwin had informed her husband that it was a payment from the citadel for discovering a new theory and an helpful addition to the field of arithamancy . Then another payment of three thousand dragons for some contribution to the field of medicines. How the boy did that was beyond her , gods even his discoveries were beyond her understanding , only Maester Luwin was able to understand any of it .

The worst was that he had not taken even a single coin for himself , instead had given them to Lord Eddard , saying what was his ,was his family's. In the past four years There had been an addition of some twenty thousand gold dragons to the treasury

"Thirty thousand gold dragons as agreed " Archmaester Abrose said and Jon just took out a coin and held it in his hand and then he looked at the chest and frowned and put it back on in the chest while all six Archmaesters looked at him curiously .

He then sat back and looked at the Archmaesters and then said

"I don't like being lied to " he said which caused everyone other than the guests to frown but then Archmaester Abrose just shrugged and handed a pouch to Archmaester Norren and then another to Jon who put the pouch on the chest .

"Didn't I tell you he will know of it in an instant " said Norren

"Care to share with the rest of us what happened " asked Lord Stark

"Norren bet that if there is even one less coin in the chest then Jon will recognize it and we bet on it and took 100 dragons out of the chest , and it would seem like Norren won " said Archmaester Abrose.

"I am really Honoured that the six of you came this far north , but I am sure you didn't just accompany the Gaurds for providing extra security " Jon said again dryly.

"Yes well, we came here to persuade you to accept the offer which the conclave had extended to you in the past " he said which caused Catelyn to ask

"What offer?"

"Well the very same that the conclave had offered numerous time in the last two years " he replied and Catelyn spied a glance at her husband and Maester who looked like a deer caught . She looked at Jon who looked indifferent .

"The conclave feels that your talents will be put to good use in the citadel , a prodigy they call you , you had learned high valyrian and the old tongue by the age of seven , Maestor Aemon wrote that much , and given your various discoveries , you will be a fine addition to the order but since all the previous invitations were declined , the conclave with the patronage of house Hightower and house Tyrell will give you Lordship of a castle in Reech , you won't have to take your oath as a master , you only have to forge your links and then enjoy your lands, to be held by your descendants till the end of time " he answered and Catelyn was shocked but before anyone could reply Robb shouted

"No, you will not go anywhere "

Seeing the situation getting out of control , Lord Stark said

"Please give Jon some time to think about it, and he will give you an answer in some days"

"Very well Lord Stark , the soldiers can stay in the barracks but I would ask you to provide accommodations to our acolytes " said Norren as they all got up

"I hope he agrees though , I am sure Luwin will tell you that there is not much scope for baseborn children in Westros" Ryam said as they left

A maid came in and showed the archmasters their rooms while Jon looked at Maester Luwin and Lord Stark and said

"Why didn't you tell me " he said

"Because you are not going " Lord Stark said

"But why Not , it's a wonderful opportunity , I will learn so much "

"But you can't go , why do you want to go" said Robb in an outburst

"because I—" Jon didn't complete the sentence and closed his eyes in despair. Lord Stark understanding why he'd stop ,ordered

"Everyone except Jon, leave "

Robb protested once but complied nonetheless and the all exited one by one and shut the door to the solar, but Lady Catelyn stood outside the door to listen

"Why do you want to leave, Jon?, and I want the truth?" Lord Stark asked

"If I leave , it will make everyone's life better , Lady Stark despises my very existence and because of that there is often tension between you two , to end all the problems , plus this way I will be able to make a name for myself ."

"Jon, I know of Catelyn's feelings towards you , but tell me have I ever treated you any different than Robb , have anyone in Winterfell ever said anything to you about your status as a bastard, on the contrary people love you , they respect you ."

"I know " Jon replied

"Then why do you want to go?"

"Because, uhm" he gave a sigh and then said," because I feel suffocated here , because I feel like an outsider here , and I have suppressed my powers and potential for a while now but I want to fly too , and I can't do that here " he answered

"if it is the Lordship you are after , I had in my mind to have you legitimized and for you to hold a keep in the gift , it's sparsely populated and I have been thinking of establishing new settlements there " Ned Stark said and Catelyn's heart filled with dread.

"No " she heard Jon's reply, and she sighed in relief and then frowned in confusion

"What why not, I know that area is not as habitable and fertile as reach but—"

He was cut short as Jon said

"It's not that ,a Lordship in reach means swearing fealty to Tyrells and if Tyrells ever warred with the north or it's allies it will be a dilemma for me , my vows against my blood. besides Lady Catelyn already fears that I might someday usurp Robb , my legitimization and elevation to the status of a Lord will only increase that fear , I don't want any discord between your family "

"It's your family too Jon" Ned said

"Lady Catelyn ensured I knew from the very beginning that it isn't" he replied

"I know you don't like her Jon but-" Jon again cut him short and said

"no it's not like that , I don't dislike Lady Stark , heck I even understand her hatred for me , for her , my mere presence is a slap in her face , a symbol that her husband loved someone more than her , so no father I don't condemn her for her treatment of me but I don't condone it either. But I swear to you had Lady Stark treated me as her own , had she been a mother to me , I would have laid the entire realm at her feet , I too would have like to have some happy memories of my mother instead of-" here he stopped speaking and Catelyn was blown by his words and she again cursed herself for not being able to love a motherless child and was again bewildered by the fact that Jon had her figured out whole and he still didn't hate her .

"What, instead of what ?" asked Ned Stark ," do you remember anything Jon ?"

"Only screams " Jon answered and For some time there was deadly silence and then Lord Stark spoke

"I am sorry that Catelyn hit you , it will never happen again"

"It's not that father , had Lady Stark chastised me for some wrong I have done , I would never have complained , all these years when I was young I kept wondering what I did wrong , why did Lady Stark hate me , how was I suppose to know that it was not me who had done something wrong "

Jon said but he stopped but it was clear from his voice that he didn't want to cross the line

"You believe it was I who made the mistake" Lord Stark asked and Catelyn now wanted to leave and not hear this conversation but curiosity got the better of her when Jon said

"Well not you, my mother , whoever she is , wherever she is , maybe Lady Stark is right , maybe she is just a harlot you met dur"

That was as far as Jon could say when Lord Stark banged his hand on the table and roared

"Enough "

There was a fury behind his voice , but after a moment he said in a very gentle voice

"Your mother was one of the most noble Ladies in the realm , a beauty that many knights , Lords and even princes desired , do not ever speak ill of her Jon , I cannot bear even a single ill word about her"

"I am sorry " Jon said after a moment

"it's all right lad"

"Who was she" he asked after a brief moment of silence and Catelyn's heart skipped a beat

"Don't ask me that son , maybe some day I will tell you , when you are older , but till then know this , she loved you very much and she asked me to keep you safe ,and already the gods almost took you from me when you were a toddler , I won't risk that again , that is why I don't want you to go "

"What happened , say something lad" Lord Stark asked after a long pause to which he asked in a whisper as Catelyn had to press her ears to the door to listen

"She is dead isn't she, you said she loved me, not loves , that means she dead" he asked

"Yes" he replied in a tone so broken she couldn't believe it was Lord Eddard Stark's voice

"O good gods, she died giving birth to me" Jon exclaimed

"No Jon , please don't say that , she never blamed you and neither do I , it was the lack of proper care that took her from us, not you , never say that, you are my son and I love you with all my heart , and I am immensely proud of you and no matter what Lady Catelyn may fear that you may usurp your brother , I know you are too honorable for that and you love him as much as I love you ." Ned Stark said

"I swear on my mother that as long as I draw breath and as long as I have a weapon in my had I will protect the Starks from every enemy and nothing short death will prevent me from fulfilling my oath"

"I am proud of you Jon , so do you still wish to go to the citadel?"

Lord Stark said and Jon didn't say anything , but just then Catelyn saw a worried Luwin coming towards the solar followed by Rodrick Cassel and he must have been really worried for he didn't commented on her presence and just knocked

"Come in" came the voice of Lord Stark and they both entered the Solar , Catelyn behind Luwin . When Lord Stark asked

"What is it Luwin"

"Troubling news my Lord , it's from kings landing , the king has called the banners , the grejoys have rebelled and Balon Grejoy has declared himself the king of salt and iron. They have burnt Lannisport and the Lannister's fleet , the attacked the cape kraken and invaded the Riverlands ." He said handing the parchment to Lord Stark.

"Summon the banners Luwin , everyone of them " he said to Luwin and then said again

"So Jon have you decided , will you stay or will you go"

"I will go Off course" Jon said , and Lord Stark looked disappointed but what Jon said next worried him

"I will go with you father , I will fight beside you "

"No Jon , you are too young" he said

"boys as young as me have gone to war , I am the best sword at your disposal, my Lord , wield me " Jon said and before Lord Stark could say anything he Rodrik said

"His words have merit my Lord , his skills as a warrior are known from the wall to the neck , let those Ironborns and Suthorns feel the might of the north"

"Yes father , it's either Oldtown or with you" he said

"Very well , but you will stay with me and follow my command "

And Jon nodded and took the pouch from the chest and said to Maester Luwin

"Add the rest to the treasury Maester Luwin "

And he left the solar.

* * *

Jon left his father's solar and went straight to his room , he had a lot of planning to do . Ever since he had come to this world he was fascinated by everything Around . Jon remembered his previous life , knew that he was a wizard , a very powerful one at that . He still had his powers and could effectively use magic , but his magical core was still growing .

Ever since he had been able to walk, he had started playing with a wooden sword , surprising his father , but Lord Stark was adamant that he won't start training until he reached five names day. The only disappointment was that the Lady who he had seen crying when death had shown him the vision was not his mother , she was his father's wife and he was a bastard .Initially he had be sad about it , but as he got older he stopped caring , it's as if the fates hated him for Robbing him of a mother's love in both his life.

he was walking and talking by the mere age of two, and he would either go to the library where he would read about this new world, apparently the people of this world thought that magic didn't exist , oh how wrong they were , he could sense the magic in the very air and ground of Winterfell , And then there was the abundance of magic around the Wierwood tree , Wierwood trees were like the Ley lines of this world .

One setback that he had encountered was that due to the difference between the latitude and longitudes of this world and his own , he was unable to apparate , fortunately for him he could still flame travel , but it was very taxing on his growing magical core .

He had only later discovered that there was more to the Wierwood trees than a magical battery of sorts, they were all connected , and if he were to push his legelimency probe into the tree , he could look around the other trees . on one of these lookouts he had encountered the three eyed crow or bloodraven or Brynden Rivers as he had discovered despite the greenseer's attempt at hiding it , but Jon's mind was as strong as harry potter's had been .and he was able to push past the Greenseer's formidable mental defense .

It was then that he had received the good news , apparently Jon was not the first person to smash through the greenseer's mind , about 11 years ago another man had done the same , but he didn't had any power of Warging and Greenseer as such he had given the three eyed crow a great headache and had been able to cloak himself from the Greenseer forever , much to his chagrin.

Jon knew without a doubt that this couldn't have been anyone other than Neville, as only the original hybrid had such mental prowess . So from then he had learned the art of Warging and Greenseer from the three eyed crow . Although he didn't find Warging too unnecessary for him , he could already possess any animal, very similar to Warging though .

The real boon was greensight , he didn't have any prophetic dreams , but he was able to access the magic of the Wierwood trees and through it he could spy on most of the north. Another thing he had discovered was that if he could apparate from one wierwood tree to another , and as such he had used it to full potential and had apparated to all the major castle in the north .

He knew he had to keep his powers a secret , he could not display them openly , he could use them in more discreet ways , for instance Jon had developed a bad habit like picking up surface thoughts of most people he met . He had tried to curb his habit but he was only somewhat successful .

He had off course started speaking just after he had entered into the body of Jon Snow , after a year he had started leaning from Maester Luwin , he would often talk to him about things that would stump even most scholars of this world . But he had wanted to know more about this world and Luwin was the best source for that . He had over the course of a month only , read every book in the library and Luwins possession .

Luwin had then started teaching him what limited high valyrian he knew, which wasn't much but that all changed when the Lord commander of the nights watch came for a visit and a black brother told him that the only person in the north who was proficient in high valyrian was the Measter of castle black , and the only person who could speak the old tongue in the north were himself and an old ranger in the eastwatch by the bay . He had then persuaded his father to let him go with uncle Benjen to learn Valyrian , his father had been reluctant and worried at first but had relented when Luwin had supported the decision and Benjen had promised to take care of him .

He had travelled to castle black first , where he spent the next year learning high valyrian and it's three bastard dialencts known to Maester Aemon , who much to Jon's astonishment was a wizard , although Jon was certain he was unaware of it . His magical core was very small , almost on the scale of a squib , like his father and brother and uncle Benjen , but was meant for only one kind of magic , what it was he wasn't sure . But like his father and uncle , Maester Aemon too possessed some feeble natural mind barriers .

He had gone through every book in the castle black and had then gone to shadow tower to learn the old tongue from Maynce Rayder there .The old tongue was a fascinating language , it was very similar to Viking ruins , it was a harsh language but Jon knew that unlike valyrian , which was a pleasant language and meant for songs and poems , the old tongue was a powerful language , the language of magic ,it had taken him a year and a half to learn the old tongue , during which he had also trained with Qohrin Halfhand. He had seen the brothers of night's watch at castle black and shadow tower but none of them was as good with a blade as Qohrin Halfhand. He was quite literally the Arthur Dayne of the night's watch

Halfhand was impressed to learn that Jon was proficient with both hands in the use of weapons. He was even further surprised by how natural Jon was with a sword , and Jon couldn't thank his years of training with the monks in Tibbet learning Kalaripayattu , which ensured that he was a master of not only all the weapons but almost all of the martial arts .

During his stay there , he had seen a shard of doubt in Mance's mind about the watch . Over the time Mance had made up his mind to abandon the night's watch and to live with the wildlings and Jon had confronted him about it . it hadn't taken long for Mance to convince that he completely agree with him and they both had planned and with the aid of dobby and Hedwig had him believe that he was the chosen one of the old gods, it helped that dobby looked a lot like what children of the forest were supposed to look like and then he had marked his first follower in this world .

Although he didn't like it , but voldermort's dark mark was a work of pure genius. Jon had offcourse altered it a bit , ensuring mance's complete devotion and loyalty to him , but Jon had retained the look of voldermort's mark , Jon had to agree it looked badass . He had then , performed a a rituall to grant him more endurance , strength , speed , healing. Not as much as his or neville's , not even as strong as a vampire , perhaps on the same scale as that of a werewolf in his human form around full moon

There were two requirements for this ritual , the first being a high magical source and the other being a sacrifice. Had they been anywhere else , Jon would have looked for a wierwood tree but they were at the wall , the biggest battery of magic in this world . and for the sacrifice , Jon had given him two options ; his feeble magical core or his ability to father a child. He had off course chosen the former. He had then given him his mission , to gather all the wildlings under one banner and promised that I will return for them one day.

after a year and a half he had left the shadow tower with a finely crafted steel sword as a gift for both of them as a token of gratitude. Instructing Mance to abandon the post a few weeks after his departure .

On his journey from the shadow tower , he had along with uncle Benjen visited the Nightsfort , the first castle on the wall and had searched it from top to ground , what he had found there was both puzzling and welcome . He found bags full of obsidian , and after recalling how the children of the forests used them , he took it with him . But what he found next was the most welcome surprise , a valyrian steel word , although why it was budrried 10 feet below the ground was beyond him. Jon assumed it was dark sister given the dragon head pommel and it was known that the the last weilder of the sword was bloodraven who had joined the watch . He had off course offered the sword to his uncle Benjen Stark but he had refused it , and had said ' faounder's keeper '.

As someone who was trained by the goblins in the art of forging weapons and armour , he had been fascinated by the valyrian steel , not because it was ever sharp and unbreakable , which every goblin sword was , the valyrian steel was also apparently a good magical conduct . He knew the secret of making valyrian steel was lost , and the smith in him was eager to test the valyrian steel blade .he and Benjen had then returned to Winterfell .

Once back Jon had resumed his lessons with Maester Luwin and had showcased his skill with the blade as well as other weapons to Rodrik cassel and his younger half brother Robb. Everyone was surprised that Jon had found a valyrian steel sword in the abandoned castle on the wall , but Lord Stark had made him promise that he will only start wielding that sword when he himself deemed him capable of .

His next years honing his skill with weapons and increasing his strength . he knew while in terms of skill he was better than most in this world , in terms of raw power and speed, he needed improvement . He knew that after converting into his animagus form, he'd gain his physical powers back , but before that he wanted to increase his strength and speed before that for maximum effect.

During this time he'd started sending small discoveries or invention to the citadel , who would pay him for his contribution to the particular field . he won't let anyone , goad it upon him that he was a burden on someone else.

But he was surprised when one day archmaester Marwyn and two of his acolytes had come to meet him , but that was not the surprising part , what was surprising was that both the archmaester and his acolytes were the only one he had ever met who could be described as wizards , but , abeit a wizard of average power , but their magic was somehow confined or chained , In a private meeting the archmaester admitted that the glass candles had lit for the second time in the last twelve years and it showed his face before it went out .

He knew what the obsidian candles were , and after repeating the same show that he had done with mance raider , he had three more followers in this world . he had removed the bindings on their magic and had crafted wands made from wierwood branches for them , he had then taught them the art of healing and had performed a ritual similar to the one he had performed on mance , but instead of physical improvement , it was their mind that was improved , their learning and retaining capability increased ten folds, although they had chosen the other sacrifice; their ability to father a child . Jon had then kept Marwyn along with him and had tasked the other to go back to oldtown and forge their chains as soon as they could. With Jon's teachings they had done so in a matter of 3 years . he had also given them a talisman which would point them to any other potential wizard and to sent them his way, but only those interested in knowledge , not warriors.

Over the years Jon had trained 7 acolytes and all of them had gone off to become masters and they were in his Service now but he had refused others who lacked a magical core. And the acolytes off course told everyone that it was Jon who had trained them which was also why the citadel was so persistent to have him in their order

Around this time he had created a flute and a harp for himself, inlaid with runes to amplify his magic , he promised himself that one day he would make a guitar and a violin for himself , but till then a flute and harp would do .

He had started playing flute in the Winterfell first , many Servant and even gaurds would get immersed in his melody that they would stop their works, he knew in a way it was his magic that was doing this but he couldn't care , for when he played his flute or harp he got lost , thoughts of his previous world would only come to him during playing a flute and a harp , and only when he'd stop playing would he see the number of people that'd stand around him listening to him.

So he started a routine , he would play flute everyday at dawn in winterfell , and sometimes he would go to the town and play at the town's square , he didn't know what it was but knowing that he could enthrall hundreds by just playing his flute gave him a sense of rush .

About two years ago he had started observing Mikken , the old blacksmith of Winterfell , he created an image of a curious boy who was able to persuade Mikken to teach him the skill as he couldn't pass of his knowledge of forging as natural talent unlike other areas , but given his prodigious status , no one was surprised when he was declared a master smith after 2 years only , off course the real reason behind it was that working on an anvil was good for developing muscle.

He had noticed that in this world the knights and gaurds only trained with a weapon , they didn't do other exercises .as a result he had not come across even a single person who would come anywhere near the muggles of his world when it came to physique .

And so Jon had decided to become more physically active , he would go on runs , both sprints and marathons , and after he had turned 11 he'd started working on his muscles , he was already tall and big for his age . And as such he'd started doing muscle training after his 11th names day , he had also discovered that a drop or two basilisk blood , if taken with milk was this world's equivalent of anabolic steroids . if that was applicable to wizards only ; he still wasn't certain.

As a result his routine was very taxing , he would wake up way before twilight and would go for a run and then would train his muscles , with weights and other equipments he had made at Mikken's . Then during dawn he would play his flute near the wolf's wood , enthralling even many a animals with his magic. He would then train in the yard with Ser Rodrick and Robb. But Quickly his training turned into ,at first spars with 2 guards at once, then three, and then four. At the age of 12 there was no one in winterfell including his Lord father who was anywhere near his level of skills with the blade . He could simultaneously keep multiple opponents at bay and defeat them. As such Rodrik Cassel was not tutoring him in the art of jousting , which Jon had to admit harry potter had no knowledge about. But soon he figured that after his transformation he'd be invincible in a joust .

In the noon he would devote his time to his studies and after that he would spend hours doing his research on obsidian and valyrian steel. He had made breakthrough in both . the obsidian he'd concluded were like storage battery for magic , like a wardstone, and after etching proper runes on it could be used as explosives . he'd crafted a wierwood recurve bow about as long as his height . it was off course covered in runes , Greek runes to be precise , he would craft a metallic bow for him later , with proper resources and a proper forge at his disposal . he had also started creating explosive arrows , his arrows were different from the children of the forest , instead of just an obsidian arrowhead attached to a stem, his arrows were made from wierwood , the arrowhead were made of bronze , which Jon knew was a good conduit of magic unlike steel and inside the bronze arrowhead was obsidian , already etched in ruins and charged , one of the additional ruins he had added was that only if he were to fire these arrows , then only would it work , otherwise it was like any other arrow .

His next project was to recreate the secret of valyrian steel . He was again stumped by the similarity between the magic of the children and valyrians. Unlike the goblins, the valyrians didn't put runes on the metal, they etched them on the obsidian and then they would melt it with a metal , which Jon concluded was very similar to adamantium of his own world. Jon knew he could create magical steel with bronze , since steel was a poor conduit of magic and unlike his own world goblin silver was not available to him . So recreating valyrian steel was not possible for now . but he was a skilled smith and had discovered a way to reforge valyrian steel and add different shades of colour to it.

And in the evening he would teach the acolytes whatever he though would benefit him in the future . currently he had two acolytes under his tutelage .

And then the harvest feat has arrived and many northern Lords had arrived. Jon knew that it was the appropriate moment to assume the title of best swordsman in the north. A simple compulsion charm and Smaljon Umber , who was as huge as his father , had told all the Lords that Qohrin Halfhand had told him that there was no one in north who could beat Jon in a duel . He had then challenged Jon . Smirking at the success of his plan he had accepted and had fought the Umber heir , who though stronger than him was nowhere near as skilled as him and was disarmed very quickly much to the shock of all the Lords .

One by one Jon had dueled the various northern Lord , Lord karstark's eldest son , Jory Cassel , and even his own father , he had defeated them all ,but he'd concluded that most of these fighters lacked the skills and speed and favoured brute force , save a few. But then Jorah Mormont had challenged him and Jon , not as strong or fast as harry potter was , had to rely on his skills to defeat the skilled fighter .

But what Jon had in mind was accomplished when Lord Mandery had commented loudly

"It's as if the warrior himself had created him , while the smith melted celestial weapons to forge his body " Jon didn't know it yet but this line would soon resonate throughout the seven kingdoms .

And now here he was in his room , about to go to war. And he knew it was time for some advancement in his prowess. He then went to the wolfswood and ventured deep into the forest so that no one would catch him. For what he had in mind could only be done once in this life , and it would be a long and painful process ; he was going to retain his animagus form.

After hours of concentration and transforming each part one by one , harry with a jump transformed into a black direwolf, he could literally feel the strength returning to his body , the one he was used to in his previous life . he could feel the direwolf within him bonding with his magic and as such he spent rest of the day in the woods in his wolf form knowing he would never be able to turn again and when he turned back he was satisfied by the result.

He was already five and a two feet taller before transformation , he knew that in two to three weeks he would grow like a weed , he could even now feel the newly transformed body building more muscle over his body , he could feel his bones getting stronger and the strength to crush stones in his limbs. He looked at the large boulder a few feet away , he walked towards it and with some effort was able to lift the boulder with both hands , he then put it back and started punching on the boulder and it was turned to peaces within a dozen strikes . Now to test his speed he ran towards winterfell , jumping as high as six feet high and at about the same in length and with a minute and a half he was at winterfell , in a one tenth of his previous speed and he wasn't even breathing any heavier. He knew for the next few weeks he will only get better.

The next morning He packed his stuff and went to mikken's , paid him a few dragons and went to work . He didn't leave the forge for two weeks , working day and night , and since mikken was working overtime too , repairing all the damaged weapons and shields , it wasn't much problem .

And After three weeks he took all the finished products and took them to his room

First was his own armour , it was jet black in color , made of stuffed leather , etched with ruins using bronze , the end result was similar to kevelar nomex body armour from his previous world , used by muggle; it was light , flexible . but more durable than steel . He put the body armour on a mannequin, which formed the inner layer of his armour which he would use instead of chainmail or scalemail used in this world . He then took a bow and went to one side of his room and fired a arrow at the mannequin.

Thwack

The arrow broke on compact , and that was just his inner layer . He then took out his next creation . if he was to have AN EDGE OVER MEDIVAL WARRIORS then he needed a automatic muggle weapon , a gun.

Now he could not in his right mind introduce gunpowder , so he had to improvise , and had created a magical gun, made entirely of bronze but painted silver, the gun was inlaid with a runic array which allowed the user to fire , without making a sound or smoke , the gun was also linked to his magic , so only he could fire it . He will only use it if he were ever ambushed or on a stealth mission . The gun was also linked to the hostler that he always wore on the backside of his waist , as such if the gun was even separated from him , it would return to the hostler . He hanged three steel plate armours back to back and went to the other side of the room and fired , first at the steel plate and then at his own body armour .

When he went to inspect it , the bullet was lodged in the third steel plate , making a hole in the first two, but there was not even a scratch on his inner armor . Next was the tunic, which was again made of mixture of enchanted leather and bronze, the tunic covered him till his lower waist . There were six circular discs on the tunic , one might think they were just added for they made the armour look better . The bronze discs were covered in runes , the runes for strength , temperature control , indestructibility , and to deviate long distance projectile, the same runes on his inner body armor . Then there was his cape , as long as him, going over his shoulder held by two bronze rings just below his shoulder blades .

He had ,with the aid of the resident tailor at winterfell , gotten an enchanted leather pant with sheen pad and knee guard already fixed on it . And then there was his gauntlet. The glove appeared to made of Kevlar , but it was made of two layers of leather with different runic array and metal guards over the knuckles, three sharp forearm blades were attached to it and two sharp circular disk made of valyrian steel he had gotten from archmaester Marwyn , and had reforged it into a sharp disc with an addition enchantment, that when activated would start rotating at incredible speed and would cut through any living person in the room . This ,Jon has designed for a scenario where he could be taken hostage or ambushed.

Next was his most beautiful creation , a bow made up of bronze and weirwood tree with bronze spread around the bow like vines . it was enchanted to create a loud twang similar to that of lightening when shot without an arrow. It was a very magical bow, the wierwood bow with the core of Hedwig's feather had made it a powerful foci , coupled with the bronze handle grip and bronze was spread out across the wierwood bow like vines , but in reality they were runes . The bow was a masterpiece of goblin craftsmanship . When the bowstring was pulled an arrow would materialize which off course was not subject to other factors such as gravity or wind. The force behind An arrow shot from this bow was ten times that of the best bow in this world, allowing him to hit a target about two mile away. He knew he couldn't use this bow in battle till he found a proper source from which he could say he got it. He will have to pull an act of god. But till then he would use his previous wierwood bow.

And with a magical bow , comes a magical quiver , enchanted to always hold thirty arrows , and a slight variation of notice me not rune , so people won't notice that he never runs out of arrows . He then put 10 of his magical arrows inside the quiver incase he had to create a big blast at any point.

And lastly he held his two swords , one was Dark Sister , the blade was as dark as obsidian , the typical smoky pattern of a valyrian steel blade , now fitted with a simple gold pommel and a amesthis , curtsey of marwyn . he had renamed it Night. The other one was the freshly forged magical, shimming bronze xiphos with a double edged blade, a leather wrapped grip and a flat hilt riveted with gold studs, he was sure it was better than any sword in westros and he was sure no one in westros used a xiphos. It could cut through steel very much like a valyrian steel sword , but it wasn't a match to valyrian steel .

Perseus then picked up the last large chest and took his to his father's solar , where he was discussing something with Jory and Greatjon umber along with Lord Karstark . the Umber and the Karstark men had all assembled at winterfell , along with other Lords , only the Boltons remained who would join them by tonight.

"Jon" boomed the Lord of last hearth as he gripped his hand said

"Holy gods, you have grown so much in the last six months , you are now almost as tall as Ned if I were to say" he finished , which Jon wasn't, he was still two or three inches shorter than his father , even after his transformation he only could achieve the stature of five feet ten inches , but Jon knew over the course of a year and a half , he would reach his full height.

"Pleasure to meet you too Lord Umber" Jon said as his father said

"Mikken said you have holed yourself in the forge for the last three weeks , so what did you create"

"Well I was thinking that instead of usual stuffed leather armour , I would create another armour for you . " he said as he revealed the mannequin from his chest and set it on the table and unveiled his masterpiece. And the three Lords gasped

The cuirass had a glowing shine to it, and the raised edges were shaped so that it seemed as a snarling direwolf was prepared to jump out and take a bite at you. Every edge was banded by bronze that had been riveted into place, and various runes had been carefully engraved on every piece. The gauntlets had forearm blade painted black and as Eddard ran a finger along the underside of one of the blade he swore as he cut himself on the sharp edge. Last was a helmet, shaped as the head of a snarling direwolf that gave even the other two Lords a few chills at how lifelike it seemed, from the sharp teeth that Jon had manage to somehow colour white, to the almost glowing amber that had been set into the 'eyes' of the helmet. Other parts of the armour had also been coloured in various shades of grey, white and black to mimic the coloring of a wolf, even red rubies for the eyes of wolf on the armour was used and only the cuirass itself retaining the silvery sheen of perfectly forged steel,

"Are these runes of the first men?" asked Lord karstark

"Aye , I learned them when I was young" Jon replied

But it was the helm that confused the Lords the most ,for the eyes were covered only by layer of transparent glass . They understood that it is to provide more visibility , but if the glass were to shatter that in itself could be harmful . Jon sensing their queries put the helm on the table and motioned for Lord umber to hold it ,as he took Lord karstark's sword and swung it , as it clashed with glass , and instead of the glass shattering they were surprised to see not even a single scratch on it .

"How "asked Lord Stark.

"I have been working on it for a while , it's very tricky and delicate business , addition of silver and obsidian , hardened the glass to this extend, but crafting it was a pain , it took me 4 months to create only the face guard . Now onto the armor , it is made of steel but is coated in a thick layer of bronze , inscribed with runes of the first men " he said

It was not true off course , the glass of magically enchanted . But the amour was indeed covered with bronze and the runes ,same as his own armour , except for temperature control runes .

"Lord umber if you will please use that axe of yours and strike this armor as hard as you can " Jon said as held the armor firmly as Jon umber struck with his axe in a full swing

CLANK

The three Lords looked at the armor in astonishment , as there wasn't even a single scratch on it .

"It's amazing Jon"

"I thought it would be an appropriate names day present "he replied as Lord Stark moved to hug his son, and after a moment said

"now go prepare , we leave at dawn for the cape kraken "

"yes father" Jon replied as he left his father's solar , hell bent on doing something that would send a message across the realm to Neville , wherever he was .

* * *

Eddard Stark was sitting among his Lords in Cape Kraken deciding their next move.

"We should take local merchant ships and launch an assault on Harlaw. It's the closest of the Isles and if we keep our ships close to the shore for cover, we launch them from the Cape of Eagles and reach the island in a matter of days," said Lord Jon (GreatJon) Umber. The Umbers were always known for their large size and fierce tempers and the GreatJon was no different. Though a fierce warrior in battle and loyal unto death, the man was not a calculating tactician. To the GreatJon, brute force solved everything.

The idea didn't sit well with Lord Roose Bolton. "Taking merchants ships by force will only incite the common folk and without a naval fleet to protect them, they would be easy pickings for the Iron Fleet," he explained. Bolton was the exact opposite of the GreatJon. Roose was cold, calm, and calculating in everything that he does and he would never attack unless he knew victory was assured.

"And what's your suggestion leech Lord? Sit on our asses until the Ironborn decide to attack us?" spat Umber.

Lord Richard Karstark nodded in agreement. "We need to take the fight to them. Not wait until they attacks our shores, burn our fields, and rape our women," he spoke with the same hot-bloodedness as the Greatjon. The Karstarks were distant kin of the Starks. Their ancestor Karlon Stark was the younger brother of the Stark King who suppressed a rebellion of the Boltons and was given a holdfast as a reward for his Service. The holdfast became known as Karhold and Karlon's family line became Karstark.

Lord Jeor Mormont of Bear Island shook his head. "And if we launch our ships without protection they will be massacred. Then we won't have the men needed to protect our shores, fields, and women." The Old Bear was the oldest Lord among those present. Despite his age, Jeor was still imposing and given great respect. Those who questioned whether someone of his age should lead men into battle were silenced during Robert's Rebellion when he fought under Ned's command.

"We have enough men to drive off any incursion but they're scattered too far apart trying to protect the entire shoreline. Your bastard has done a good job driving off the Ironborns from the shore , but if they return with an even larger force he won't be able to do much" said Lord glover and Ned Stark nodded although he shot an icy glare at the Lord for his reference to Jon and he cowered.

But what he had said was true , While he had taken half of his forces and had marched to cape kraken , he had commanded Lord umber with the other half and they were to eradicate the ironborns on the shore , he had sent Jon along with him , knowing that there will be no big battles to be fought there , but Lord Umber had been injured in the initial skirmish , and according to his own accord only Jon's intervention has saved him . Lord Umber , who couldn't take part in any further battle , had appointed Jon as the commander of the force , choosing him over the other Lords , and even his own son, much to Eddard Stark's surprise . But more surprising was that not even a single Lord had objected to be led by a boy of only twelve namesday , moreover a bastard .

"He didn't just drive them away Lord glover , he eradicated them , not even a single Ironborn escaped , every last one of them was killed , and he had put all their head on spikes all along the coast , they are calling him Jon the impaler now , plus Jon had directed all the villagers to fortified keeps at least till the war is over , moreover the boy even paid these Lords for housing all those smallfolks , and after their last humiliating defeat and watching the heads on spikes, I doubt they will ever attack north as long as Jon is alive " said SmallJon umber , sent here by Jon to inform him of the irornborn attack.

"yes , we have heard rumors , but we don't have the details , what exactly happened ?" asked Roose Bolton , something Ned too wanted to ask , all he knew was that in addition to all the raids , Aeron Greyjoy had led the attack with 10 war galleys and 40 long boats , with a force of some three thousand men , but Jon had lead an army of a thousand against them and had defeated the ironborns had had captured Aeron Greyjoy .

"We only had a thousand men with us when those ironborns attacked , our force was spread across the entire coastline , but instead of fleeing and leaving the smallfolk to the ironborn's mercy , Jon formed a plan , and I swear Ned your son is a fucking genius , I have never even heard a formation even existed like the one he had implemented . He put the army in the formation of a lightening bolt with him in the vanguard and I swear on the old gods my Lords, the formation tore through the enemy lines like knife through butter , and just an hour after their arrival , Jon had captured Aeron Greyjoy and soon his men surrendered , we lost a hundred men , while the ironborns lost half of their initial numbers . He then executed most for one crime or another while sent some four hundred men to the nights watch in chain accompanied by forty guards . he then manned the war galleys with our men , mostly Manderly men, to protect the coast and sent me to you with five thousand men ."

The Lords around the table were obviously shocked , they were all off course were aware of Jon's skills with weapons , they also knew that Jon was very intelligent , and now according to the official records of Oldtown the only person to know both old tongue and high Valyrian . They were all off course unaware of Jon's skills as a commander and war tactician , he off course knew that Jon was extremely good in devising strategies and formation , Luwin had informed him that the boy had been inventing his own strategies for some time now , strategies Luwin had never even heard of.

"How many men does Jon have now?" Ned Stark asked

"Two thousand , he is fortifying the coast , and told me he would leave them under my Lord Manderly's command and he will meet you at Seagard ."

"Seagard , why there?" asked Roose Bolton

"with their 10 war galleys under our command , the ironborn are now only have one place they haven't struck yet , he say it's going to be Seagard, the attack will be lead by Balon GreYjoy's son Rodrik Greyjoy , who , I quote as he said'' is very eager to ring the bell for the first time in three hundred years "", plus if he has Seagard under the ironborn control , he can launch incursion in the riverlands , and then will they will have two entry points in the mainland under their command , the other being shield isles , so if the royal force comes from one side they will enter the mainland from another " Smalljon finished and while everyone pondered upon it , Jorah Mormont said

"It's a fine strategy , by fortifying the coast and with the aid of war galleys , the northern coast is now protected and the ironborn can't establish a foothold. Lord Manderly won't be able to cover as much ground but they will be able to hold off an attack So we must go to Seagard , for I agree with the your bastard , if sea guard falls , this war will become more bloody ".

This time it was smalljon who growled at the mention of Jon's bastardy , but Ned Stark said again

"I too believe we should send a force to Seagard , while the rest of our army will go to Riverrun and join the king there, I along with Lord karstark , Lord Umber and Lord Mormont will take two thousand men to Seagard and Lord Bolton will lead the rest of the force to Riverrun ."

"If I may my Lord ," asked Smalljon and Lord Stark Motioned for him to speak

"Jon was Admant that you take a force of atleast five thousand with you " he finished causing Ned Stark to think but it was Jorah Mormont who said

"That won't be required two thousand men along with whatever Lord Mallister has should be able to repel anything the ironborn would be able to throw"

And the other Lords nodded and Ned said

"Riverrun has not yet gathered it's levies , if somehow the irronborn were to slip pass us in Seagard , riverrun should be protected at all cost , that is why my decision stands" he paused for a moment and then said

"We leave at the dawn my Lords, we should be able to reach Seagard in a week , inform the soldiers and get some rest , we have a long journey ahead of us "

"yes , we have only been marching and waiting while the umber boy and your son have been fighting battles after battles, and taking all the glory , seagard is our chance" Lord karstark said as he banged on the table and the other Lords laughed .

The next morning , a force of two thousand soldiers , under the command of Lord Stark and Lord karstark and Mormonts and Umbers went left for Seagard while the remaining army marched to Riverrun

* * *

Prince Rodrik Greyjoy had awaited this moment his whole life. Standing on his flagship the Red Kraken as the attack fleet approached Seagard, Rodrik's moment of glory was finally at hand. He was his father's heir and future King of the Iron Islands but for years had only led basic raids and plunders on wealthy merchant ships. When Father declared himself king, uncle Victarion was the one who led the attack on Lannisport and destroyed the Lannister fleet. Then Victarion raided stronghold after stronghold, his name spoken with increasing reverence amongst the Ironborn with each passing day. And yet the future King was barely spoken of at all. Sure Rodrik would bloody anyone who disrespected to his face but he had no accomplishments to his name. The Ironborn followed strength and if Rodrik didn't have accomplishments to his name, they will never declare him their king.

But that will change when he is done sacking Seagard. The stronghold was surrounded by a town and had been originally built as a watchtower to monitor for Ironborn raiders. For centuries, it endured against any attack from land or sea under the rule of House Mallister. And when Rodrik raised the kraken banner on its walls, it would be used as a staging point for raids into the Riverlands. Then the Ironborn would speak of their prince and future king with the same awe as his uncle.

Beside him Denys Drumm, heir to House drumm and wielder of the Valyrian sword Red Rain and Donnel Drumm his younger brother, stood beside the prince. The two grew up together on Pyke and had been close friends. When Rodrik needed a first mate for the raid, Denys was the only person he even considered standing at his side. "Do you hear that?" Denys asked.

Seagard's Blooming Tower was ringing with its massive bronze bell, signaling the townspeople to seek the safety of the castle during an Ironborn Raiders. "That's the first time they've range the Blooming Tower in over three hundred years," commented Rodrik. After Aegon's conquest, the Ironborn's Old Way had been suppressed and only a few ever dare defy the Targaryens. Now the dragons were gone and the Old Way could return to the Iron Isles. "And once I've taken the city it'll be the last time it rings."

And soon as the first ship touched the shore the battle begun , the people of the seagard were taken by surprise and as such couldn't form any organized defence . the ironbornds didn't even have any trouble gaining control of the shore , and soon pressed on , slaying many in their way .

The battle was going to be one for the ages. Sure to its reputation, the townspeople of Seagard fought the invaders with a ferocity Rodrik hadn't seen outside of the Iron Islands. Hundreds of years ago these lands belonged to the Iron Crown so maybe the people of Seagard had a little Ironborn blood inside of them which would explain the fight inside of them. For nearly an hour, Rodrik and drumm brothers had cut their way through the city along with their personal men at arms. They fought all the way towards the walls of the castle. Rodrik intended to scale the walls and take the Booming Tower which had been ringing throughout the entire battle. Once it was taken, the bells would go silent and all of Seagard would realize their defeat. It was more a blow to morale then an actual victory but it was an important blow nonetheless.

Soon they reached the walls, Rodrik's men readied grappling hooks and flung them up. It took them several tries until eventually all the ropes went slack. Rodrik went up first with Denys and his Valyrian sword right behind him, The prince held a shield above him as he scaled the walls as did the younger drumM. It wasn't easy but the Ironborn drilled their children on how to sail, fight, and sack a city from the moment you could hold a stick. Rocks and arrows hailed down around him. Someone tried to shoot him with a bow from a nearby arrow slit but Denys managed to hold onto the rope one handed and use his free hand to toss a dagger through it and into the attacker's head. The attack slowed him down and several of his men began to advance past him. Once the men reached the top, the rocks and arrows were replaced with crimson drops.

Rodrik pulled himself onto the top of the wall where his men and the drum heir were already carving their way towards the massive bell drum. It was so large that it took a metal bar the size of a battering ram to ring it. "Kill them! Kill them all and shut that fucking thing up!" the prince laughed. The Ironborn pressed the assault but the guards stood their ground. Not a single one retreated as Rodrik and the drumms cut through them, working together. Denys took off an arm then Rodrik a split second later would finish it with a blow to the forehead. The younger drum would deflect with a shield and slash with his sword. He had to admire both the drums they were indeed excellent warriors and perhaps one of the best ironborn had to offer .

He slashed another man from neck to rib and kicked another towards Delyn who wrapped his sword around the man's neck, using it as leverage to snap it. By the time they were done, bodies of both Ironborn and Riverlanders littered the area. Though costly, Rodrik had taken the bell tower and for the first time in an hour the bell went silent. In the city below, Ironborn clashed with the city watch and knights all the while taking whatever plunder and salt wifes they wished. This was Rodrik's victory, his conquest. His name would be remembered forever as the first Ironborn to sack and conquer Seagard.

A horn took him out of his moment. At first he thought it was a signal by the Riverlanders to retreat when the horn blew again, he realized it was one of their horns. Iron Islanders craft them from material that gave off a distinctive sound. One blast meant they were charging, two blasts meant enemy reinforcements. That was impossible, the closest stronghold that could actually provide reinforcements of significance was the Twins and House Frey would never jeopardize their own lives to protect anyone else. "Sire look down there," Donnel pointed down into the city.

At one of the city gates, hundreds of cavalry charged into the city. They ran down the Ironborn in the city streets, breaking their lines and turning the tides. Banners of the North waved in the air among their ranks. The Stark direwolf, the bear of house Mormont, the Umber giant, and the sunburst of Karstark. This wasn't possible, the Northerners were scattered along the coastline. There's no way they could have mustered this large a force and arrive so quickly. Unless somehow they knew of Rodrik's mission. Father only told him and Harras their destination back at Pyke. The rest of the Ironborn weren't even told where they were going until they were halfway there. "My prince we must retreat! Our men are losing ground by the second!" shouted Denys.

"No! Tell the men to stand their ground," ordered Rodrik.

"But sire there's too many of them," protested Denys.

Rodrik grabbed him by the armor and got into his face. "I said stand your ground, trust me I still have a backup but we must open the gates and once the gate is opened , shot a fire arrow towards the woods"

To which the Drumm heir nodded and the trio with two dozen men went towards the main gate of the castle , they encountered some gaurds , but they all were killed and in the end they reached the gate and opened it allowing hundreds of ironborns inside the castle .

On the other side of the battle , the northern soldiers were engaged in as battle with some thousand ironborn , and the Ned Stark was sure of his victory when he heard the sound of another battle horn . At first everyone thought that the Riverlands army have come to reinforce them , much to ironborn's horror but Ned Stark and his fellow northern Lords were horrified by the sight and now Ned Stark realized why Jon had insisted on taking at least five thousand men with him .

From their left , a fresh wave of ironborn soldiers emerged and soon joined the battled , and now the northern host was outnumbered at least two to one . And soon the situation got bad for them , northern soldiers were being slaughtered . And Ned himself was unhorsed , he soon got up and with ice cut the ironborn's head in one clean sweep. But they were outnumbered , and soon it became evident as Lord Stark was fighting two men at once when a soldier rode towards him on horseback a spear in his hand about to skewer him .

But the rider along with two of his assailant were flung back and the remaining ironborn who was engaged with Ned in a duel looked at the three fallen soldiers in confusion and Ned to saw an arrow sticking out of each of their chests . He knew who had fired the arrows , only one man in the entire realm could three arrows at once and that to with such precision . And volley after volley came and by the time Jon even came in view ; ridding his black warhorse , his wierwood bow in one hand , at least two dozen men had been killed . He, from atop his horse was firing arrow after arrow with such speed that for a moment everyone literally stooped fighting in wonder . The northern soldiers rejoiced at his arrival . He jumped from his horse some feet away from him and slung his bow upon his back . And took out his valyrian steel sword ; night and in one slash hacked the head of both the horse and the horseback .

And the fighting resumed , and as unbelievable as it sounded , the arrival of one man had evened the odds , and Ned now understood how Jon had been so successful in his previous campaign , he fought with such ferocity and skill , he didn't stop between his moves, his one move was linked to his next and so on, and with each move he killed one soldier . Ned was surprised by the strength he was displaying , he knew Jon was stronger for his age , but this was entirely on a different level , he kicked a man on his chest as he was engaged with two soldiers already and the man was sent reeling a good fifteen feet , and didn't rise again. And soon ironborn started thickening .and they started retreating to the castle .

And now Ned also realized why the soldiers were so rejoiced at the sight of Jon , some of these soldiers were probable those who have seen Jon in action before . Jon soon came towards him and Ned hugged him briefly and patted him on the back . but still . Smalljon came up to them and pointed towards the castle from which the ironborn were coming back , this time reorganized. Lord Stark looked at his soldiers , the men were too disheartened to fight any more. Jon to must have come to the same conclusion as he said loudly , very loudly infact, and Eddard was sure every one must have heard him

"What is death ? WHAT IS DEATH?" he paused and said again

"TO RUN BACK IN THE FACE OF AN ENEMY , THAT IS DEATH . TO THINK THAT THE ENEMY IS STRONGER THAN YOU THAT IS DEATH "

"I AM GOING THERE TO FACE DEATH , FOR ONLY THOSE WHO FACE DEATH AS AN EQUAL CAN ACHIEVE IMMORTALITY "

"WHO WILL COME WITH ME?"

"YEAHHHHHH" the soldiers shouted

"WHO WILL GRASP IMMORTALITY WITH ME?" he asked

"I WILL , I WILL" everyone was shouting , even Lord Karstark and Smalljon were shouting

"WE ARE THE BLOOD OF THE FIRST MEN , SHALL WE SHOW THESE BLOODY IRONBORNS THE MIGHT OF THE NORTH? "He SHOUTED

:"YES YES YES" THEY CHANTED

"LETS SEND THESE FUCKING IRONBORNS TO THEIR DROWNED GOD "

The soldiers shouted enthusiastically and then ran towards the ironborn host, and the two armies clashed , but the northern fought with such ferocity that their ranks were soon thickened , Ned looked for Jon , who was tearing a path of death in the enemy line , and he disappeared killing anyone and everyone who faced him , and leaving a trail of dead bodies behind him .

Soon it became evident to the ironborns that Jon was a warrior on a different level , ironborns got out of his way and Jon confidently strode towards the castle , some tried to kill the greatest sword of north to gain glory, but Jon was on a rampage , and soon they entered the castle as ironborns began surrendering despite having the element of superior number on their side ; they were not willing to face Jon , wherever Jon went , some time later the ironborns in the proximity would surrender and at last they reached the castle yard where five men were beating one man , who from his armour Ned realized was Lord Jason Mallister . But then Ned looked at his attackers and realized who they were , from the kraken helm it was clear that the boy was Rodrik Grejoy . And from their armour the other two boys were of house Drumm, this was confirmed when Ned spotted one of the boys holding a valyrian steel sword as red as blood, soon Jon entered the fray , killing the other two men within a blink of an eye . This caused the other three to look at Jon . They stopped for a moment but then the three attacked Jon.

All around them the fighting stopped as the ironborns realized that this was the decisive fight . the three were very good swordsman , definitely above average but Jon held them at bay , Jon never stood at one place , the three clashed blades with him but to no avail , Jon was too fast for them. They danced like that for a brief moment and it was then it struck Ned where he had seen the same fighting technique , for he had witnessed it only once , by the deadliest sword in the realm.

Jon's style was unique when he used two swords, his defense was also his offence, Ned wanted to join the fight , and by the looks of it so did other , but it was risky , the distraction could cause Jon harm.

Just then Jon kicked Denys drum in the chest and he was sent flying a few feet away , and while he was getting up Jon elbowed the greyjoy boy in the face and then brought the same hand in an overhead full swing on the younger drum who tried to block it with his shield and was in the process of swinging his sword with the other arm, keyword being tried , because the sword in Jon's hand was valyrian steel , it cut his shield vertically in half and his hand with it.

The younger drum screamed in pain but Jon kicked him in the face , knocking him out , he then turned to face the other two who jumped at him with a renewed ferocity , And again for some time Jon danced with them , but in another burst of speed Jon brought the sword in an horizontal swipe only to be parried by Rodrik and held his other sword up to block drum heir's attack, but red reign cut through the bronze sword . Jon then pushed Rodrik back and in a speed that baffled everyone , threw what remained of his bronze sword like a dagger at Denys drum which embedded in his skull and the force of the throw sent him on his back . He then turned to face Rodrik greyjoy .

The greyjoy heir was clearly tired , while Jon on the other hand looked like he could do it for the whole day. Greyjoy attacked by swinging his sword at him only for Jon to parry it away lazily , they clashed blades twice more when Jon's sword landed on base of Rodrik's hand and he twisted his hand completely.

CLANG

Jon's valyrian steel sword was on greyjoy's chest . and with a sudden jerk he jammed his sword in his head through his jaw and pulled it out and the greyjoy heir fell to the ground with a thump .

Seeing their leader and prince defeated as well as their other leaders , the remaining ironborns too laid down their weapons just as the soldiers of Seagard and North cheered .

Jon approached the fallen drum heir and pulled the hild of his sword from his skull and collected the other half of his sword too . He then picked up red rain , and looked at it curiously . While the ironborns were being put in shackles Ned approached Jon .

"That was a great fight " Ned said as he looked at Jon properly , it had been two months since they had departed from winterfell , and even in those two months , Jon had grown , he was now almost as tall as himself, every part of his body of bursting with muscle . He reminded Ned of a young Robert .

"No , it wasn't , they didn't even feel like a challenge , they were good , way above average skills, but they were too slow" Jon replied

"Or you were too fast " Ned said and then said again

"I have seen you train before , you were always fast and strong for your age, but what I saw today and what I have heard in the last some days , you were too fast , lightening fast , and your attacks were very powerful"

When Jon didn't reply but merely looked solemn Ned Stark stated

"You were holding back "

To which Jon gave a ghost of a smile and said

"I didn't want to make Robb feel jealous , but I have now realized that Robb is not the kind of person to get jealous , specially not of me , he loves me too much for that"

Here Ned gave a smile just as Lord Mallister approached them and said

"I thank you Lord Stark , without you we would have been defeated , you have my gratitude"

"no need for that Lord mallister , it is Jon who saved the day today , it was him who told us to come to seagard anticipating an attack here , and even then we were outnumbered , it wasn't until Jon arrived that the tides of the battle changed "

"Aah yes , Jon the Impaler , you have my thanks my Lord"he said

"I am no Lord , Lord mallister " Jon replied and understanding dawned on his face as he said

"regardless of that , you are the savior of Seagard , and the Segard will always be indebted to you for your act of valor . Please find shelter in my castle as long as you wish "

"Thank you for your hospitality my Lord ,we will stay for two days , burn the dead and rest , then we march for riverrun , there we will join with the host the king is bringing with him" Lord Stark said as Lord Mallister took their leave and went to make appropriate arrangements .

"What will you do with red rain?" asked Lord Stark

"I will keep it , will make an excellent names day present for Robb, the Starks will be the only house to have two valyrian steel swords ." Jon said

"Three , three valyrian steel swords" Ned Stark said

"I am not a Stark father" Jon said and Ned gave him a pained look and said

"you are my blood , my son , you may not have my name , but you are my son"

Jon smilled and they were joined by other Lords and they moved towards to hall for dinner , where everyone ate and got drunk and Jon played his harp and sang a song and as he sang it started raining.

The smalfolk started saying that there was so much sorrow in his voice that even the gods cried , and within a few months , everyone in westros would hear of it .

Two days later they had marched for Riverrun, Jon wasn't looking forward to it as Revirrun was Lady Catelyn's childhood home and he highly doubted that the tully's would be pleased to have him , but Sansa was there too , while Sansa didn't dislike him , she still following her mother didn't like him either .

Behind them Smalljon was laughing and telling to anyone who would listen about the three kitchen wenches he had taken to bed in the same night , only to be reprimanded by Jeor Mormont , the old bear still had a commanding aura around him.

Jon rode upon Aeron ; his war horse. Many had commented that Aeron was unusually fast and had immense stamina, When Jon had told them that he had ridden to seagard without Stopping anywhere , many had raised an eyebrow at that but then smalljon had said that the similarity between both Jon and his horse was that despite being in so many battles , they didn't have even a single scratch on them .

And just then Riverrun came into ,view , it was a beautiful castle , but Jon was more amazed by the number of tents that laid in front of the castle. There were banners of the crowned stag of king Robert, and of other houses of Stormlands and Riverlands . As they reached the encampments Jon was surprised that the drawbridge was drawn up , and realized something was wrong .

He was about to tell his Lord father about it but Jon was shocked when he looked at Lord Stark , he was pale , his eyes wide as he looked at Riverrun. Jon followed his gaze and blood drained from his face as he saw the banner of house Grejoy and Harlaw raised on the walls instead of the trout of house Tully and realization dawned upon him.

'Riverrun was seized by the Ironborns .'

And he exclaimed only one word in a whisper

"Sansa"

* * *

 **What did you guys think?**

 **and thank you guys for your reviews and PMs . much appreciated .**

 **now what do you think jon will do , how will the meeting between jon and the king be like?**

 **so guys please review , next chapter is almost done too , so will update it soon.**

 **-valar doharis**


	3. Chapter 3

**AU-**

 **first of all, I am sorry for the delay , I know it's been a month , but I had so much going on . but anyway here is the next chapter, I HOPE YOU LIKE IT.**

 **and to answer some of the reviews -**

 **Basker- and i loved your review , tricking the readers was intentions when i wrote the first chapter**

 **mystolon- that is the impression that i wanted to give that neville is stronger than harry . but he isn't. read this chapter and i hope you are satisfied now . and they have their own strengths and weaknesses and you will see them in the future chapters. plus you are forgetting , it was harry who made neville into what he is today**

 **bharath- who hasn't bahubali . it's so amazing . and when i was writing the battle of seagard and i needed a motivation talk , i remembered bahubali from 2 years ago , and i wrote it . to all those who haven't watched it , watch .**

 **Drakhus Von Carstein - no he isn't . read this chapter and you will understand. jon is cunning and manipulative, he gets it from voldemort.**

 **djma46- i hope this chapter clears it up. you must understand that for you it might be just one chapter , for him it's ten years**

 **Joe lawyer- i hope this chapter's clears up your doubts**

 **Hadrian Targaryen- It was inspired by it**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 3**

Eddard Stark couldn't believe his eyes ; the banners of house Harlaw and Greyjoy were flying above riverrun and lord Stark knew what it meant . The ironborns had somehow entered the castle while the levies were still gathering and the gaurds must have been out on patrols and they had taken riverrun. He though of his precious sweet Sansa , and dread filled his heart as he knew what kind of monsters the ironborns were .

Before he could say anything he saw Roose Bolton and a knight in white cloak; A Kingsguard, ride towards them . He looked at Jon who was looking at the impregnable castle with a look in his eyes that terrified even Eddard and then Roose Bolton greeted him and the Kingsguard said

"Lord Stark , the King has called you to his tent "

Lord Stark nodded and told his lords

"Make camp , Its going to get dark soon "

And then he rode along with the Kingsguard , his mind was numb , he couldn't think of anything other than his daughter otherwise In any other circumstances he would have been elated to once again meet his childhood friend , a brother of another blood. They soon reached a large tent with guards at the entrance with a flag of a crowned stags upon it . the Kingsguard and lord Stark entered the tent , Eddard Stark spotted the King , along with who then announced his arrival.

"Lord Stark , your grace"

The King was talking to the Kingsguard Ser Aerys, turNed to look at him and there was a mixture of joy and sorrow on his face. But nonetheless he got up and both friends hugged each other tightly . Eddard Stark looked around , he spotted the Kingslayer and other lords , he recognized Lord Beric Dandorian and other lords , there were goblets of wine in almost everyone's hand and but the general mood in the tent was somber , they were probably discussing their next plan of battle . They all looked at lord Stark with sympathy , while some like the Kingslayer and some westerland lords just smirked .

"So good to see you again Ned , I just wish it was under better circumstances "

"So do I , your grace" lord Stark replied

"Oh to hell with these formalities , I have enough lords trying to suck up to me , you don't do it" King said as Ned smiled a bit .

"What do we know ?" he asked

"Not much " the King answered ," by the time we arrived , Bolton had already made camp , but even they were late , the Ironborns had already taken control of the castle. The Riverland lords were in the process of gathering their levies and the guards were out on petrol, it was then they struck and holed themselves inside"

"And hostages" Ned asked , and the King looked at him grimly , knowing exactly what he was asKing.

"They have Hoster Tully and his son along with the blackfish as hostages and your daughter too "

And lord Stark deflated at hearing this because despite the logical conclusion that Sansa was most probably a hostage when he had spotted the Greyjoy banner , a part of him had hoped that somehow Sansa may have escaped or rescued .

"Don't worry Ned , we will free them , we are trying to negotiate with the Ironborns an-"

"don't worry? How can I not worry , she is but a child , in the clutches of those monsters , gods knows how they will treat her" Ned Stark shouted and then slumped down at one of the chair .

Robert was about to say something when the same Kingsguard who had escorted him to the camp entered and bowed and said

"your grace , a boy from lord Stark's party is at the drawbridge threatening the Ironborns , he is maKing a scene"

"Then what are you waiting for Trant , go apprehend him and bring the boy to me" the King barked and before lord Stark could object he was gone

"You know this boy?"the King asked upon noticing his expression

"Yes and unless you want an injured Kingsguard you should call him back" Ned Stark replied

"who is he?" King asked and Ned was a bit worried about Jon meeting Robert . He knew both of them well , he knew that either Jon and Robert would clash a lot or they will be great buddies . He had initially hoped to keep Jon isolated in the north , away from all the attention of the southern houses , but that was not possible , given his image at the citadel and his recent unbroken streak of victories and heroics .

"My son" Ned Stark replied and after a moment of silence the King replied

"Your bastard? , the genius scholar that Pycelle won't shut up about , you named him Jon right ? I heard about him , of his battles , I heard they call him Jon the Impaler , the blasted boy fought five battles in one day in a row , surpassing even me "

"Yes" an amused lord Stark said and lord Dandorian spoke

"We received a raven from Seagard this morning from Lord Mallister , he called the boy the savior of Seagard , said he alone changed the tides of the battle and killed the Greyjoy boy and other four in a single duel."

"Yes the very same " Ned Stark said in another solemn tone when another Stormland lord spoke up

"Is it true that he has Aeron Greyjoy as a hostage , he defeated the greyjOy and his men when he was outnumbered one to five"

Ned Stark realized that the figures was a bit exaggerated , it was one to three but before he could correct the lord Meryn Trant stumbled inside the tent , panting , as if he had run all the way here , supporting a cut lip and a bruised eye .

"What happeNed " the Kingslayer asked

"Oh its clear what happeNed , you; a Kingsguard got beaten to pulp by a boy of twelve" the King said

"he was too strong my lord , he didn't even draw any weapon , it was like being hit by a charging bull head-on " the Kingsguard said and before anyone could say anything there were some scuffing outside the tent and someone said

"you can't just meet the King like this , now get out of sight you id-" that was as far as the guard went for their was a sound of yelp and the next moment a man was thrown inside the tent which caused the Kingslayer to Unsheathe his sword and then Jon entered the tent .

He looked around the occupants of the tent and he kept his heavy gave on each and everyone for some time and then locked his eyes with the King and after a few seconds Jon bowed , just his head , and that too slightly .

"Your grace , it's an honor to finally meet the man that father would recite stories about all the time "

"it's a pleasure to meet you as well boy , heard all about your victories in the rills and cape kraken and off course Seagard ." the King said as he patted Jon on the back with enough momentum that would have sent any other man tumbling , but Jon wasn't even moved by an inch on which the King commented as he picked a goblet of wine from the table

"You got strength boy , not many can brush of the force of that pat like you did "

"When I make a stand your grace, not even the gods can move me by an inch , you are then just a mere mortal " Jon said , and lord Stark was a bit surprised by this , for he knew that it was not like Jon to boast . The King just laughed and said

"A brilliant job fighting all those Ironborns Jon"

"I did my duty your grace, anyone who would set his eyes on north , I will gauge their eyes out" Jon said when he was interrupted by Jaime Lannister

"Perhaps we should gauge your eyes out for your unruly behavior , but then again what more can you expect from a bastard " he said as he put his sword on Jon's chest lazily as some lords nodded in agreement , all of them from westerland.

"Indeed, but had you possessed an iota of intelligence you wouldn't have drawn your sword , but then again , perhaps what I have heard about you is true that the only skill you have is in swinging that blade , a bloody dunderhead , you are probably still wondering what an iota means " Jon said as he wrapped Jaime Lannister's metal gauntlet covered forearm in his hand and as Jaime's smirk faltered for moment , only for a moment when Lannister said again

"Yes, but you see , my skills with a sword are unparallel , no one has ever been able to land a single blow on me" Lannister said , but his smirk was wiped of his face when Jon , with a lightning fast move snatched the sword from Kingslayer's hand , causing everyone's eyes to widen in surprise and there was pin drop silence which is why the sound of metal crushing was heard perfectly and Jon released him. The King slayer winced as he held up his hand and with wide eyes along with everyone saw his crushed metal gauntlet . They were all definitely taken aback by Jon's strength .

"Then you have chosen your opponents wisely , a fine skill to face only under average warriors " Jon said as he gave a smirk of his own as he held the sword in his palm , with the blade between his fingers and palm and-

 _KIRIK_

The fine sword , probably forged by the finest smith in Westros was snapped in two and there wasn't even a drop of blood on Jon's hand and Jaime along with the other Lords now regarded Jon as someone who could indeed be a dangerous adversary and why shouldn't they , Jon had just broken a fine caste forged steed sword in two as if it was twig and so did everyone else as Jon dramatically showed the two pieces of sword in his hand each and let them fall on the ground.

"Now go out and guard the tent as is your duty , kinsgaurd , for right now I am extremely angry at my sister being a hostage and it would be better for you if that anger wasn't directed at you , we wouldn't want father dear to come and throw a tantrum if his golden boy was beaten to pulp" Jon said again and lord Stark again was surprised as it was very unlike Jon to mock someone . But then he realized what Jon was doing , he was establishing himself amongst the lords and moreover the King . Eddard then looked at the King who's eyes were gleaming with mirth and he knew that he would have to intervene for the King was enjoying the banter too much

"Jon , enough , we have Ironborns to deal with"

"Deal with ? What do you mean"

" We will negotiate with them , I hope they are amiable to it" Lord Stark said and by the frown on Jon's face he was not in agreement with this move.

"Negotiate?"

"Yes Jon there is no other way "

"There is always a way father one has to just look for it "he said and gave a dramatic pause , and looked at everyone in the tent , including King Robert , his eyes glowing hauntingly as he said again

" Hope can be found even in the darkest of time if only one remembers to turn on the lamps "

"Riverun cannot be breached lad , that is how it was made " the King said

"No offence your grace, but no city is unbreachable and no castle is impenetrable "Jon said.

"Then perhaps you can tell how we should proceed bastard " a knight said as Jon rounded up on him and said

"What's the use of that , you don't have the balls of doing what I have in mind , none of you sissy knights can do it , moreover I am a man of action , you just wait and watch , perhaps I will give you a pointer or two someday"

"Your grace, father " he bowed and then made his way out of the tent and just as he was about to exit the tent when lord Stark called out his name , causing him to halt and turn back and look at him

"Don't do something stupid Jon , I already have one of my child in danger, I don't want the count to rise to two. "

"Biarves favors se nēdenka" Jon said and just gave a smile and left .

"What does that mean, was that valyrian ?" the same knight asked to which lord Dandorian replied

"Fortune favors the brave"

The King was still looking at the exit of the tent and then he said

"Leave us , we will discuss this later "

And one by one everyone filtered out of the tent , some even shooting Eddard Stark annoyed looks , probably not happy the he was given more favor by the King then them . It was just three men in the tent ; himself , Robert and Jaime Lannister and then the King said again

"Oh cheer up Ned , we will get your daughter back , I promise you "

"How can I cheer up Robert , she is my daughter , a hostage , don't talk about something you don't understand " Ned Stark said

"That's not true Ned" the King replied after a moment of silence causing Ned to look at him and saw a pensive look on the King's face

"You are not the only one whose daughter has been taken hostage " he said causing Ned eyes to widen and he asked

"Princess?"

"Yes along with the imp and Redwyne's boy , the Ironborn now have hostages against three great houses , and the royal force . The Redwyne won't move their fleet as their son is a hostage " the King answered

"Oh Robert , I didn't know , I didn't hear anything about it" Ned said

"We kept it a secret , only a handful of people know " the King said and before anyone else could say anything he said again

"Go guard the tent Kingslayer , leave us alone" and he left them alone and lord Stark said

"I apologize for Jon's behavior your grace , apparently Sansa's situation hit him harder than I anticipated"

"bah nothing to apologize for " he said and after a moment of silence," but tell me Ned , do all your children take after Lyanna so much " the King asked in a solemn voice to which lord Stark gave a chuckle but he also got worried .

Over the time many people have commented Jon's resemblance to his uncle; Brandon , the wild wolf , but King Robert was the first person to ever link Jon's strong resemblance with Lyanna . normally people who would look at Jon superficially would say that Jon had taken after Brandon but Ned knew the truth , that Jon had taken a lot after Lyanna; a strong women of incredible will and rebellious to the bone and possessed a fire that attracted strong men like Robert and Rhaegar to her.

Ned Stark didn't know this , but that description fit another women ; a certain redhead witch from another world who had defied the strongest wizard of all time even in her dying moment.

"Fortunately no , it's only Jon who takes strongly after Brandon and Lyanna " he answered , purposely adding Brandon's name. The King looked at the exit of the tent with a pensive look and then said absent mindedly

"He is a fine lad "

And the two old friends talked into the night , consoling each other , encouraging each other and recalling their childhood .

* * *

It was way past dinner and the only one awake in the whole encampment were the guards and the sentries and the recently arrived lannister forces under the command of Tywin Lannister . Inside his tent Jon was waiting , he had a plan in mind. He wore his armor tunic and without a cape or the inner body armor it was as light as any leather coat, but it was enchanted with so much runes and magic that Jon was certain that he won't receive even a single wound in the upcoming mission that he was about to embark upon .

He strapped night on his waist and red rain and his quiver with two short falcate daggers also attached to the quiver in their sheaths . he then wore his gauntlet and with a mental command the valyrian steel disc came loose and started spinning and hovered in front of him , Jon pulled out the elder wand from his other gauntlet and conjured a thick iron rod and with a mental command the dick easily cut it in two pieces like a hot knife through butter. He the holstered the disc and wand back in the gauntlets .

He then picked up his gun and put in his hip holster. Although he had no plan of using the gun tonight , he knew he won't be needing it . He then sat on his bed in his tent and reflected upon his time in this world.

He couldn't remember when he had stopped referring himself as harry potter . the memories of his previous life were there , but he was Jon snow now . it was very similar to when he had attained voldemort's memories and knowledge as harry potter in his previous life at the end of fifth year . he knew his soul , magic and mind was an amalgamation of Jon's , harry potter's and horcrux that had been inside harry potter .

He had at first though of leaving the Starks behind and travel to the free cities or somewhere else , leaving all the drama behind , but he had over the time grown fond of his new family . His father and brother loved him , Sansa too loved him , but she won't express that love due to her mother and Arya loved him the most . the love of a sibling was a strange emotion for him , both harry potter and Voldemort were orphans and only child. The people of Winterfell too liked him a lot and Jon had decided to stay in the north , having found a bond with that land that was very similar to how he had felt about Hogwarts .

He stood up and picked up his bow and held the elder bow on the other hand Disillusioned himself and left his tent , he made his way towards the drawbridge .

Riverrun was a strong three-sided castle, although not especially large. The castle's sandstone walls rose from the water . the castle was bordered on the north by the Tumblestone and on the south by the Red Fork, while on the west a third side faces a massive man-made ditch. He knew In time of danger the sluice gates can be opened to fill a wide moat and leave the castle surrounded on all three sides by water, turning Riverrun into an island and leaving it practically unassailable.

He lifted himself in the air , towards the castle wall and spotted twelve men patrolling the wall , they all had a bow in either their hand or within their reach , while about a dozen men were asleep a few feet away , most probably taking shift for guard. He landed on the wall and put bow on his back and casted a silencing spell and started shooting Snape's favorite curse at the sleeping guards.

Killing men in their sleep left a bitter taste in his mouth but he knew he proceeded . he then moved towards the archers , they were all stationed fifteen feet from each other . He stood behind the first , who was unaware of his dead companions and stabbed him in the heart and applied a sticking charm so that his dead body will be attached to the wall and it would appear as if he was standing, the charm would wear off within an hour . He then approached to the next guard and did the same , and within minutes every one of the two dozen men on the guard duty were dead. He looked around and could see tent sprawled around for leagues

He then made his way towards the castle , also in the shape of triangle like the castle, he was still invisible , encountering a few men in his way, some were in the stables and some were in the courtyard and it was a good thing that all of them were alone . He killed them all with a quick slash to their throat , and it wasn't at all difficult , considering that he was still invisible and they literally didn't see his attack . He transfigured their bodies into rocks and the transfiguration would wear off within some minutes .

He then approached the main hall where he was sure were majority of the Ironborns . He entered the corridor and stood outside what appeared to be barracks , he looked inside and saw about hundred men having their meal. Majority of the Iroborns were in this room and Jon knew he had to kill them all and had to ensure that no one escapes .He entered the room and sealed the door shut magically . This immediately alerted the Ironborns who all took out their weapons . Jon then activated his Valyrian steel disc and watched in amazement as it spinned and zoomed around the room with breathtaking speed and cleaved through every one other then himself . it tore through armors and bodies alike , some were able to approach Jon but Jon cleaved them in pieces with overpowered sectumsempras , the spell cutting every man in pieces as Jon was using the elder wand and just within five minutes every single one of them was dead ,some had their throats slashed while some had their hearts pierced through . All around the room were body parts and blood was flowing .

He then went towards the kitchen , there were two guards outside the kitchen . he quickly slashed their throats and entered the kitchen and what he saw made his blood boil , there was a man who was beating a girl who probably was no older than sixteen he then tore her clothes and Jon realize what he was about to do . The girl was crying and everyone around her was tied . the girl cried out

"Don't look mother , please close your eyes , don't look "

That was the first time Jon's mind went back to his life as harry potter , how her best friend was brutally killed in a similar fashion . at that time he had blamed himself for not being there to protect her and so he vowed to protect this girl from suffering the same fate and his mind went into a blind rage and he took out night and just as the Ironborn was about to enter the girl he heckled his head off in one swipe . He helped the crying girl to her feet and took a tablecloth and wrapped it around the girl and he didn't know why he did it but he put an arm around girl as she sobbed into his chest . after a few moments he helped the girl to sit on a chair and released the other dozen women .

They were very terrified , and were crying but over that they were showering gratitude upon Jon who then told them

"You all wait here , soon you all will be free , don't fret " after saying this he went outside the kitchen , and made his way towards the main hall. He was mad with fury as he entered the main hall , there were at least a fifty Ironborns and chained to the pillars were the about three dozen Riverlanders, . This time Jon didn't hide his arrival , on the contrary he made a show out of his arrival by dramatically closing the door and bolting it shut .

And at once about a hundred set of eyes were on him .

"Who the fuck are you boy "one of them asked , he sat on the head chair and was definitely the leader of this group .

"who I am is the least of your worries , what you should be worried about is how I will kill you all in the most gruesome way possible , but since you asked , I am Jon snow , and for you , that is the first name of death "

The leader started laughing and soon the others joined him , Jon looked around the room and discreetly put his hand behind his back and conjured a dagger and flinged it at the leader in a lightening quick shot . The dagger embedded into his chest , and the force of the impact send his body flying back as his dead body slumped into the chair.

That shut everybody up . They all took a few moments to come to terms with what had happened and then rounded up on Jon. One man approached Jon , his sword drawn and before he could even bring his sword in a swing night went through his throat . That was it; the Ironborns started approaching him , but no matter who came , the result was same , Jon easily cut them down. Then another came at him , but Jon ran past him , completely bypassing his slow guard and drove night into his neck from behind .

Jon then didn't wait for anyone to attack him , he went on offensive and slashed the nearest Ironborn's throat . Jon was way faster than any other men , his hits were precise and quick , but what Jon had in spades was strength. He danced through the Ironborns , killing one with every strike. They then tried to gang him up , but Jon was too fast and strong for them , plus most of them were levies , untrained soldiers and undisciplined and unorganized .

The nobles and knights who were tied to the pillars watched Jon in amazement , amongst them the blackfish , probably the most notable knights from Riverland watched Jon in wonder as he killed the ironborns with incredible ease , his valyrian steel swords cutting down weapons and their wielders in two in just a single attack . and not long moments later Jon stood covered in blood , a coat of blood covered his armor .

Jon took a moment to analyze everyone around the hall , he then approached blackfish , recognizing who he was by the coat on his tunic and cut the ropes that were binding him, and immediately he said

"Who are you?"

But instead of answering Jon asked

"Where is Sansa?"

This caused blackfish's eyes to widen and he said

"She along with my father and nephew are kept in the private audience chamber by Rodrick Harlaw , we must free them "

"No , you release everyone here and take care of any other Ironborn in the castle , although I doubt there are any left" Jon said

"What do you mean by that " he asked

"Well I killed them all" Jon said

"All of them?" he asked

"See for yourself , free the others , I will meet you by the gate " Jon said as he moved towards exit and turned back and said to blackfish

"Oh and there are Servants in the kitchen , take them with you too"

Saying this Jon exited the hall and moved towards the stairs just adjacent to it and climbed it towards the solar just one story above the hall. He was midway there when various screams of cries reached his ears. And he clearly recognized Sansa's voice amongst it, which caused Jon to apparate to the top of the staircase and that was when he heard a man croaked voice

"Get away from my granddaughter you sick bastard I will kill you "

It was followed by a sharp screech and for the first time something in Jon's chest coiled , for the first time in a very long time fear gripped his heart. The door to the private hall was slightly ajar and Jon opened it with shaky hands and what he saw , it took tremendous will power to not crucio Rodrick Harlaw who just then slapped little Sansa across face and was about to take of his breaches as he said

"I like my girls young , my last spearwife was slightly older that you little flower "

Jon was in absolute rage , his mind went back to Hermione , how Belatrix had ripped her body apart and had dumped it in front of the burrow . both the Tully lords looked at Jon as he entered the hall , and Rodrick too followed their gave and was startled to see Jon and went for his sword but Jon grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him back and punched him lightly ; well lightly for Jon, for Rodrick it was like being hit by a warhammer and he lost consciousness .

"Jon" Sansa cried in relief as she got up from the floor and ran towards him and hugged his legs tightly and started crying vigorously but there was definite relief in her tone . Jon too got on both knees and hugged Sansa , trying to give her as much feeling of love as he could in that embrace . and it was at that time that he felt an emotion he had not associated with for a long time; love and the urge to protect the girl in his arms ; his sister . And any thought of abandoning the Starks evaporated from Jon's mind .

"Hush now sweetie , no one will hurt you now , ok" Jon said trying to soothe her .

After a few moments he got up and moved towards Hoster Tully , but Sansa gripped his shirt tightly and won't let go , she was so traumatized by the whole ordeal , so Jon scooped her in his arms and wrapped her in a cloak that was lying on the table . he easily held her in one hand and with his kukri cut the ropes that hoster tully was tied to and did the same for his son .

Jon then approached Rodrick Harlaw unconscious form , he picked up his sword and was surprised to see a dark valyrian steel sword , it was black in color , not like night which was pitch black. He then remembered that house Harlaw too had a valyrian steel sword; nightfall. He kept the sword in one hand and told Edmure Tully

"Bind him"

The Tully heir , took a rope and bound him to the same pillar which he himself was tied up to. Jon then discretely casted a portus charm and converted the rope into a portkey to his tent which would activate after an hour .

"Let's go " he told them in a commanding voice.

"We cannot Ser" the Tully heir said , referring to Jon as Ser , terrified and in awe of him at the same time . He then said again

"There are ironborns all over the castle "

"Don't worry , they are in no state to bother anyone now " Jon said as he left the hall and started descending the stairs , the two lords following him. As thy neared the corridor Jon said to Sansa

"Close your eyes Sansa , don't open them till I tell you to"

The reason for this became apparent to the tully's as they watched dead bodies all over the place , as they exited the main castle they were astonished to see so many dead men littered around , some even had their body parts missing, the walls of Riverrun was covered with blood . Jon discretely hit Sansa with a light sleeping charm . Soon they came to the courtyard where a man approached the trio and bowed to Hoster Tully but Jon didn't stop and the Tullys followed suit and the man walked with them as he said.

"My lord , Lord blackfish is about to open the drawbridge "

"we can see that Malen" Hoster Tully said as the gate came in view where a few men were standing around the gate and were probably waiting for an order and Jon said loudly and in a very commanding voice

"Lower it "

The men followed his order , and Jon noticed Edmure Tully bristling at that fact . soon the draw bridge was open and Jon walked out , followed by the Tullys and other four dozen people . Jon then noticed the gathered men , a bit surprised by it and spotted his father and the King amongst the assembled men. He approached lord Stark who was a whirlwind of emotions . Jon handed over sleeping Sansa to his father who held her protectively in his arms and then looked at Jon who said

"Did you really think I would let anyone hurt my sister"

Saying this he went towards his tent , the crowd parted as we walked and after a few moments a loud cheer went up , just as Jon reached his tent he heard the loud cheers of his name

As Jon entered his tent he called dobby out , who immediately appeared and helped him take his armor off within seconds .

"Something to eat dobby?" Jon said , this was one downside of his animagus form , his appetite was huge , due to his increased metabolism . Jon then did some cleaning spells on him and wore a pant and shirt , he was about to lay down on the bed when Marwyn asked permission to enter .

"Come in " Jon said as he sat on a chair instead .

"My lord" Marwyn bowed .

"have a seat Marwyn " Jon said indicating to the other chair and Marwyn took his seat

"Tea Marwyn?" Jon asked to which he nodded and Jon knew that dobby had heard it too and they didn't have to wait long , within a few seconds tea appeared on the table as Jon made two cups and handed one to Marwyn . Jon had been elated that one of the master he had taken in had come to him one day , about two years ago with delicacies from the foreign lands. He had with him , tea , rice , saffron , and even coffee among them. He had immediately asked the master to purchase some tea and coffee for him. And saffron , he remembered that in his previous muggle world , saffron was as costly as gold , plus it provides warmth on consuming it.

"the people out there are singing your praises my lord , how you have done the impossible , everyone ; from the King to the lowly Servant are talking about you , lord Tully and the blackfish are telling to everyone how you cut down everyone of the Ironborns in the Riverrun."

"Well , here's to my success" Jon said as he raised his cup but then Marwyn said

"If I may my lord , don't you think you are too generous for your own good"

When Jon gave him a confused look he said

"Giving all of your gold to the Starks , and giving away your valyrian steel sword to lord Robb , that's a bit too much my lord. Despite lady Catelyn's hatred for you"

Jon looked at him for a moment before saying

"They are my family Marwyn , all these years , I have never detected any other emotion from my father or Robb other than love . Lady Catlyn is a different matter , she is not my blood. Besides the Starks are a powerful family , one of the oldest , their patronage and support means a lot , specially now , with the King and father being childhood friends. It's a matter of simple quid pro quo"

Though obviously Marwyn didn't understand the Latin phrase .And there was truth to his words , not only he was certain that Robb and his father had nothing but love for him , the Starks have ruled the north for a long time, heck as far as human memory goes , the Starks have been the ruler of north and he knew that the north will not accept anyone other than a Stark as their ruler . Jon knew that giving away all that gold was a very subtle way of manipulation ; to create an image of selflessness but Jon wasn't going to tell Marwyn his intentions . and as far as lady Catelyn was concerned , well Jon didn't care , he had never given a damn about lady Stark , and he knew that if he wanted to he could easily kill her off , and not be suspected but he also knew that it would bring a lot of grief to others in his family . it was definitely fate's cruelty that in his previous life he had aunt petunia and lady Stark in this one .

"But my lord , since you are so proficient in a dual wielding style , wouldn't it be better if you were to have two valyrian steel sword ,"

Jon regarded him for a moment and then got up and went towards his armory and brought back his broken xiphos and red rain. He put them on the table and took his seat back he pulled out the elder wand and repaired the sword , and the two peaces merged together again , much to Marwyn's surprise . Jon then asked .

"Do you know what this type of sword is called"

"No my lord" said looking at the leaf shaped blade.

"It's a xiphos , a long range xiphos , now look at red rain and tell me if i were to reforge it , does it have enough metal to take the shape of a xiphos"

"I don't think so" Marwyn said

"Precisely , plus , red rain didn't feel right in my hand , it felt off, the balance was wrong. The reason I like Night so much is because felt perfectly balanced to me , plus I knew red rain won't be the only valyrian steel sword I would come across. " Jon said and summoned nightfall from the other table . He then handed it to Marwyn who was in awe and Marwyn nodded .

That was indeed one reason , but he had other reasons also ; even the most ancient houses could only boast of having open valyrian steel sword in their family . it was a rarity and Jon knew that many powerful people of the realm will not like the fact that a bastard was in possession of not one , but two valyrian steel swords , and now he had three. he knew that Tywin Lannister was looking under every rock around the world for a valyrian steel sword . Plus it was entirely possible that the house Drumm , after the war , might petition to the King for the return of their sword . and Jon knew that if he were to give it to his brother , than the King and other lords won't say anything . he will acquire another powerful blade through other means, he already had plans for it because it was indeed true , his dual sword wielding style was very deadly and with them swords , he would be able to cut through enemy lines with exceptional ease .

"But why not use red rain till then , what's so special about the bronze sword, it was cut in half so easily by red rain" the archmaester said

"well that sword is quite special , you see a magical sword can act as a conduit for magic , but mostly that kind of battle magic is powered by elements , now I have studied the valyrian steel sword a lot and the only element it can conduit is fire , maybe that's probably because dragonfire was used in it's forging. And the reason it was cut so easily was because it wasn't the same sword that I had forged "

The sword that Jon had forged was a very powerful blade, but it was incomplete , but he already had a plan to remedy that .

"Incomplete?" Marwyn asked and Jon nodded and summoned a wooden case , he opened it and inside was the most beautiful sword Marwyn had ever seen. It was also a long range xiphos , there were runes etched along it's length and their was no grip.

"Yes , the runes on the blade were never initiated , to initiate them a lot of magic had to be passed through it , and not just raw magic , but elemental magic and the sword I was using is just another bronze sword that I made , it's nothing special , it's better that any other blade but inferior to a valyrian steel sword."

Jon said , and he knew after completing his sword , it would be as good as a valyrian steel blade , if not better. Marwyn took in all that and after some time asked

"And what about the lordship my lord and the gold?"

"Marwyn , in the coming time I am going to earn so much money , those fifty thousand dragons will be copper compared to it. And the lordship , well I am not going to swear fealty to the bloody Tyrells, specially not the likes of mace Tyrell who would take the victory of his banner men and name it as his own , " he said and he meant it , he was not going to bow down to a Draco Malfoy of this world , a pompous lord without any merit . no it was difficult to bow down to the King as it was , at least if he were to be a lord in north , he would only be bowing to the King , though he had enough plans in his mind to remedy that.

"Maybe , after ending the rebellion , you can convince the King to give you the iron islands " Marwyn supplied

"Oh no , I have no interest in ruling those barren islands , plus I am not going to be a lord of some small piece of land in reach either, no if I am to be tied to a lordship , then it will be only to the lordship of a large piece of land where I will raise castles the likes of which this world has never seen" Jon said .

"Well then you should have taken lord Stark's offer and establish in the gift ." Marwyn said

"No not the gift , it is too cold for my taste " Jon said plus there was no natural resource in that area. He then conjured the map of Westros and Marwyn looked at it intently and after some time said

"You wish for the Neck , Moat Cailin ?"

"Yes" Jon replied,"I will be the only lord in Westros to have a fleet on both the eastern and western shores"

Though that was not the only reason , the neck was the only area in north with relatively warmer climate , plus given the mostly flat terrain , many crops can be grown there , along with many exotic crops. But the main reason was all the iron and gold ore that Jon had sensed in the mountains around the fever river on his journey south. And he had special plans about the fever river also . but most importantly , Moat Cailin was the entrance to north , the shield of north , numerous Andal armies were slaughtered there , and with his magical fortification north will be impregnable from the south .

"That is a lot of land , no lord in Westros has that much land under him, the King might not be amiable to that idea , maybe we should wait for an opportunity to gain a favor"

"Oh he will be , I don't believe in waiting for opportunities, I believe in creating opportunities and after the Service I am going to do for him , he will give me Kingslanding if I were to ask for it" Jon supplied

"What Service my lord"

"Well Sansa and the Tully's were not the only one under the hostage of ironborns , the reason the ironborns are so bold in this campaign is because they know that as long as they have their hostages , no one will retaliate against them , the balance of this war depends on those three hostages now."

"Who are they my lord"

"Princess Marcella , the heir of Arbour and the imp of Casterly Rock" Jon supplied and Marwyn took a sharp breath at that and after a moment he replied

"Yes , and after last night and knowing my abilities , the King would ask me to rescue those three" Jon said

"But the neck is sparsely populated my lord" Marwyn said after some time

"Then we will have to remedy that , plus I already have a few men working on it , don't worry Marwyn" Jon said, that was another reason why he had sent Mance on his mission , plus he also had his eyes on the mountain clans , both of north and vale .

"Very ambitious of you my lord , but what if my lord , due to some reasons , you couldn't claim those lands , then what?" Marwyn asked

"Well , there are tons of options, there is so much land to the east and south" Jon said

"Essos , you mean"

"Yes , Essos , it intrigues me , I so want to venture there , explore it various lands , I want to go to Assahi above else , venture into the uncharted lands " Jon said

"And south?" Marwyn asked

"Sothorys what else"

"Sot.. Sothorys my lord? But no one has ever gone there"

"Yes" Jon said , he still remembered what death had told him , that it is in Sothorys that the magical creatures of this world live , it made sense to be honest , that a continent filled with magical creatures would be inhabitable to the muggles of this world . Jon just wished that by then he'd be able to find Neville. But for some reason he was unable to look for Neville through the wierwood tree, maybe he was not in Westros , maybe he was in Essos , or Uthos , or Sothorys , who knew , given all the uncharted lands of this world.

He needed Neville by his side , not only was Neville extremely powerful , but he alone had the capability of creating an army of loyal vampires , werewolves or hybrids. That was the only power of his that had put him on edge during his previous life , that and his immortality . Jon knew if it ever came to a fight between him and Neville , he would be able to subdue the immortal wizard , even put him out of commission for eternity; yes Neville had been a tad more physically superior to harry potter , but Jon had discovered that Jon snow's body was genetically superior to that of harry potter , and as a result after his transformation Jon was certain he would be physically stronger and faster than he ever was as harry potter.

But Jon also knew that in terms of magical power and knowledge he was way ahead of Neville , which was also why it had been harry potter who had fought voldemort , not Neville . But to create a powerful army , he needed Neville .

At first he had hoped that his discoveries would be able to attract Neville to him , but it didn't work , and even if Neville did hear about those new discoveries he wouldn't have given much thought to it . that was another reason he had marched to war and had fought with such ferocity , hoping his exploits of strength and skills would get Neville's attention , but apparently that didn't work either .

But then it had occurred to Jon; all this time Jon was thinking that Neville would be on a lookout for him , but Neville didn't even know that he had followed him to this world , and as such Jon knew that he would have to do something magical , something that many people would witness and spread the word. He knew he won't be able to do magic , at the risk of branded a heretic but he already had a plan for that as he levitated a wooden box from his trunk.

Marwyn was confused when he looked at the box , the box had no lid , no opening , it was as if someone had cut wood in the shape of a cube. But he was surprised when Jon waved his wand and with a crack a lid appeared on the box and he opeNed it. What he saw inside both confused and frightened Marwyn. It was a miniature of a mythical creature long gone from the world , a legends of past, the sigil of an old house.

"Now imagine Marwyn , a creature , thousand times the size of this one , how will the lords and King react to it" Jon asked

"They will piss in their armors my lord " he replied

"Now imagine , I slay that beast in the presence of all the lords of the realm and the King, how will they think of me after that"Jon said as he looked at the miniature but very much alive mythical creature , well not alive , it was enchanted after all . Jon had gotten the idea from the from the miniature dragon given to him at the beginning of the first task.

"Yes, it will be like slaying one of the Targaryen dragons , you will be a thing of legend my lord" Marwyn said , still in awe.

"Yes, I suppose" Jon said closing the lid and sealing the box again. He too hoped that it would be enough to kill a terrible magical being to gain Neville's attention and if even that didn't work , he had another plan for the same. Just then dobby Served delicious food , both for him and Marwyn and Jon motioned for Marwyn to dig in.

They ate their breakfast in silence for some time when they were interrupted when a guard entered the tent , wearing the armor of house baratheon , he was clearly out of his wits , he was jumpy but was trying to contain his excitement .

"Don't you know it's poor manners to enter someone's tent without permission" Marwyn said in a sharp tone .

"My apologies my lord " he said , he was clearly scared when Jon said

"At ease soldier" Jon said and then motioned for him to say his piece

"My lord the King has asked you to join him in his tent "

"Tell the King I will , shortly , after finishing my meal" Jon said, the soldier looked uncertain but he left nonetheless and after finishing their meals Jon said.

"How is the mission I tasked you with faring?"

"It went well my lord, we have till now acquired land in all of the major cities and towns of Westros , I myself created all the wardstones with the wards you mentioned and have also planted the wierwood seeds you gave , close to a thousand wierwood seeds have been planted , in every castle in Westros , big or small , around every keep and also around various cities and towns "

"Did you follow the procedure I told you"

"Yes my lord , we first put the wardstone , then added a layer of soil and then the Wierwood seed and a few drops of our blood and then covered it with soil" Marwyn answered

"Good" Jon said as he summoned another box and opened it showed it to Marwyn , Marwyn looked inside the pouch and asked .

"It is a very elaborate and big wardstone my lord , I don't understand much of these runes "

"Don't worry , just carry it with you and tonight we are going to the isle of face, I hope you were able to acquire a dragon's skull as I told you to " Jon said as he closed the box and gave it to him and Marwyn nodded.

Jon had been studying the wierwood tree for quite some time now , he had concluded that a wierwood tree grows for eternity , it produces only oxygen , it keeps the temperature moderate in any region , and if there is a wardstone around the wierwood tree, it will be full to the brim with magic and the wards will never fall . he knew that there are very few wierwood trees south of the neck , and those that existed , Bloodraven had them under his control . So he had asked Marwyn to plant the wierwood seed in every castle , keep and city around the westros and even in the free cities and even faraway cities in the west beyond the narrow sea and summer sea . he had then asked Marwyn to buy some property in every major city put another wardstone with a FIDELIUS like runes and runes that would allow him and his companions to apparate to another similar wardstone , and the moments those trees would grow the wardstone would get activated , shrouding the location by magic. But he knew that some might cut down these wierwood trees and hence he had created those wardstones , with intention based wards that would induce the effect similar to the cruciatic curse in any one who would try to cut down the tree or burn it plus it made the wierwood trees fire proof.

He knew that there are no wierwood tree in eerie and dorne due to the former's rocky terrain and later's sandy terrain. But these seeds were magically enchanted and as such the roots would find place no matter what and they would grow. The next part of his plan was dependent on the wierwood trees . the main reason though , for this plan was because unlike Bloodraven , Jon couldn't look in the past , besides Bloodraven won't be able to use the new wierwood trees . so Jon had wanted to establish a way to look all over the Westros and Essos if need be as such he had tasked Marwyn to plant the seeds in such a way that there would always be a wierwood in atleast a thirty mile from anywhere . These wierwood would be his eyes and ear .

just the a figure appeared out of thin air next to them and Jon then hit him with another Stunner and conjured a metal cage around him , trapping him inside . Marwyn looked at the man and before he could say anything Jon said

"Rodrick Harlaw"

To which Marwyn nodded and after some time Jon asked again

"Did you bring what I asked for"

"Yes " Marwyn replied and got up and left the room , some time later he returned along with two other masters and a unconscious man, they laid him on the ground and the two masters left . he had heard all about the alchemist guild who were famous for creating wildfire. Marwyn then put a jar covered by a cloth on the table.

Wildfire was a potent magical substance that ,from what Jon had heard , burnt like greek fire of his world; so that was a big no no for Jon , only he could be in possession of such a magical material and the knowledge to create it even if he had to extract it out of his mind . that is why he had tasked Marwyn to bring him the head of the alchemist guild and to kill the rest of it's members and to bring a jar of wildfire after charming it to be unbreakable .

But now he had another reason to question the pyromancer , he had last night , during his talk with the Kingslayer come across a memory of an old man saying loudly

''Burn them all , Burn them''

He knew one of the man in the memory was a pyromancer , but not the same man in front of him . he then told Marwyn to leave for his mission to the high heart with all haste and started interrogating the pyromancer .

Had he not charmed his tent to be soundproof , the pyromancer's screams would have caused the entire camp to be worried but after some time , a smiling Jon came out of his tent , completely armed with his weapons . His wierwood bow on his back , along with his quiver . both of his swords around his waist , while red rain on his back and nightfall was in his tent .

He activated the protection wards around his tent and walked towards where the King was hosting a small tourney in celebration of Jon's achievement .

* * *

"How the fuck did the boy do it" the King asked to no one in particular as he sat around all the lords around him. The King had summoned all of the present lord , and due to so many people , they were sitting in the open , with tables laid for a celebration, he had then sent a soldier to bring Jon and the soldier had returned and had said that Jon would arrive shortly . of course some lords around him had shown displeasure at the boy's attitude but King Robert was quick to silence them. Plus given what Jon had done and how everyone who had come out of Riverun were regaling of how Jon had killed about two hundred Ironborns alone and of his skills , not many were willing to face him.

The lords and soldiers alike were in jovial mood And why shouldn't they be, a major obstacle had been cleared for them the Riverrun was now rid of Ironborn and the hostages were now safe . he then again repeated his question out loud , and this time lord Hoster Tully got up and said

"I do not know your grace , what I do know is that he was sent by the gods who not only saved us but in the process killed every single of the two hundred Ironborn scum who were in the castle"

As Hoster Tully told the other lords about the events that had occurred inside the riverrun , Ned Stark couldn't help but remember how he was woken in the early morning from the loudest cheers he had ever heard in his life , he was at first startled and had thought that they were under attack . he had exited the tent and along with his guards went to see what the whole ruckus was about , he was joiNed by the King and Tywin Lannister and Ser Kevin Lannister on the way who had arrived late in the night, all of them were as much surprised by it all as him.

But all doubts had vanished the moment his sight had fallen upon the drawbridge of the castle which was then open and walking out of the castle was a small party , in the lead was Jon , who held little Sansa in his arm and behind him were Hoster tully , his good father and his good brothel; Edmure , along with the blackfish and about three dozen men and women .

Jon had then handed Sansa to him and had proceeded towards his tent leaving a stunned crowd behind . a party had been then sent to the Riverrun to investigate and what they had reported was beyond imagination; every single ironborn , around three hundred of them were dead , some had arrows in them , some had slit throats and some were just cut in half .

A loud cheer brought him back to the small tourney the King had thrown , the melee was over and the hound had emerge victorious and now the winner of the archery ; Ser Balon Swann was showing off his skills with a bow . Ser Balon then motioned for a soldier to throw the apple in the air and as the apple was descending back Ser Balon Swann shot an arrow and…

Another arrow hit his arrow and the apple started falling

But just as the apple was nearing the ground another arrow came from some distance away and not only it hit the apple , the arrow also hit a target that was set up. Everyone was stunned by this , clearly the archer was more talented than Ser Balon Swann. The crowd literally parted and everyone saw Jon standing some fifty meter behind him, his bow held by him horizontally above him as he smirked at Ser Balon Swann .

The knight , not one to shy away from a challenge approached where Jon was standing and the both at once took aim and released their bow , and both hit the target dead centre. By an unspoken agreement ,both again took aim and shot.

The King watched Ser Balon's arrow follow the same path as his previous one. His heart started to beat faster as anticipation slowed his perception. The arrow was traveling painfully slow as it neared its target, but it was looking very promising. Then his arrow finally struck the target, very much like his previous shot, landing mere hairs away from the first arrow. Two arrows were attached to his target, one right on the target and one a hair's width beside it.

But when he looked over to how Jon did, his took a sharp intake of breath.

Jon's target had two arrows attached to it, but the first one had been split in half and was sprawled out like a whore's open legs. The second arrow had hit the _exact_ same spot as the first, and it split the first arrow in half. The second arrow had pushed the first arrow's head deeper into the target and forced its own head into the target enough to remain stuck to it. Jon had struck the dead center twice in a row.

"We have a winner!" cried blackfish

The crowd roared into a phenomenal applause and people on the pavilion were on their feet cheering, the loudest were among the northern and Riverland soldiers and lords to the right side. The King himself was clapping for the boy as was countless other lords and knights. All the while, Jon smiled and bowed to both crowds and always had a smile on his face.

"Oh come on Jon , you have been doing that for years , show these southerner's your true talent " came the loud voice of the heir of last hearth , the King always liked the Umbers , and northerners in general , they were not as uptight as all the lords he was surrounded by in the court.

"Is it true Jon , do you have any more skills that you'd like to show us all"

"I have tones of skills your grace ,I am certain the kind of which no one would have even heard of but I believe that showing off one's skills does not suite a true warrior ." Jon replied

"Bah , show us what you got boy " the King said

"As you wish your grace" Jon said and with in a blink of an eye he took out from his quiver and shot three arrows at once and much to every one's surprise , the three arrows hit the dead centre of three targets . Everyone , gasped in surprise , even Ser Balon was looking at the display of skills with his jaw gaping . Jon then once again shot three arrows and the three arrows split his previous three arrows in two .

"A true archer can locate his target , not by seeing it , but also by hearing it" Jon said loudly , for everyone to hear as he took out a black piece of cloth and wrapped it around his eyes and then said

"Now throw the apple "

The same soldier who had thrown the apple before came forward and threw an apple high in the air , Jon , much to everyone's surprise shot an arrow all the while his face was bent downwards and the arrow pierced the apple just as it was about to descent . And once again everyone roared in wonder.

Jon knew that almost all the lords and knights of the realm , except from dorne and reach were present. He figured this was perhaps the best way to showcase his skills, for he was dead set on never participating in a tourney . He held his bow above him horizontal to the ground, and in a speed that baffled anyone started firing arrows towards the sky, he had shot twenty three arrows already when the first one hit the ground , some ten bow length from Jon , and all the arrows hit the ground , each a hairbreadth away from the other .

Jon took off his blindfold and bowed to the crowd , he looked at the notable figures sround him , his father was beaming proudly at him , the King was looking at him as if he had discovered a long lost relic and then he saw Tywin Lannister , looking at him like a hawk , assessing him but overall he gave an impression of boredom.

'Now that won't do at all' Jon thought and he stared at the man and then addressed the King.

"Your grace , all of the skills that I have displayed can be achieved by anyone , given they work hard , but there are a few that I am sure no one would ever be able to replicate, let me demonstrate one such skill, and I guarantee you that no one ,from the lands of always winter to Assahi could perform it, except me "

The King motioned for him to process. And Jon took out two arrows from his quiver and notched them. he looked at Tywin Lannister dead in the eye, and without looking at the target , released the arrows and the moment the two arrows reached the target , the target caught fire ; it was burning.

Everyone from the King to the stewards, looked at the target with astonishment , and indeed , true to Jon's word ;no one had ever heard of such skill. Jon looked at Tywin Lannister and was satisfied to see the expressionless Tywin Lannister, supporting a look of complete bewilderment and surprise. After a while when everyone calmed down, the King got up and spoke

"Jon snow"

Jon walked towards the King , who said

"You have shown tremendous courage , skills , and power in the last few weeks , you led the men against the ironborn , and despite being outnumbered one to four , you defeated them, you won the battle of Seagard slaying hundreds of men. And today you freed Riverrun from it's captors , again showing immense courage and resources , along with unparalleled skills and power. And for all that , you should be rewarded "

There was a loud cheer from the soldiers , but Jon frowned and said

"With all due respect your grace , I never did anything with the expectations of a reward , I only did my duty , and I did it with honor , do not sully my deeds with a reward your grace"

"No boy , every good deed should be rewarded so that other would draw inspiration from it. kneel Jon snow" the King said and after a few moments he knelt . the King put his sword on his right shoulder and said

"In the name of the father I charge you to be " the King said and many gasped , the King was knighting him , everyone was thinking the same thing , that Jon would be the youngest person to be knighted and some even looked at Jaime Lannister as currently he was the one with the title of the youngest person to be knighted but just as the King was about to put the sword on his other shoulder , Jon stepped back and got up

"My apologies your grace , but this I cannot accept " Jon said , causing everyone around him to look at him in wonder , even his father

"knighthood not good enough for you bastard" the Kingslayer said , this caused Jon to glare at the Kingslayer and the Kingslayer literally took as step back because Jon's ever glowing eyes were glowing even brighter, he shivered as the temperature around him dropped suddenly.

"indeed kinslayer , knighthood is not good enough for me , as a matter of fact given the current state of the order of knights , in my opinion knighthood should be a stain instead of an honor , the order of knights have stooped too low" Jon stopped here and then looked at the King , who said

"You are giving up the chance to become the youngest knight in the history"

"I realize that your grace, that to most, knighthood might mean honor and glory , and to be knighted by the King himself , must be a beyond glorious, but not for me your grace " Jon spoke very softly , but then his tone became hard and loud as he said

"But I will not be associated with the monsters that are part of the order of knights , we have the mountain , who not only raped an innocent and defenseless woman , but also killed her daughter right in front of her and then crushed her Head . Then we have armory Lorch , the man who stabbed a year old babe two dozen times , they are knights , aren't they. But are they by any means honorable . NO"

"Then we have the Kingslayer , who though did the realm a great Service by killing the mad King , but also broke his oath . So no your grace , I would prefer to have my head cut from my body , but I will not be associated with men like them ,I have spent my entire life trying to live with the code of honor that my father is known for and taught me and my brother , I will not have the stain of knighthood on my honor "

There was a complete silence all around as everyone absorbed Jon's words . Tywin Lannister was glaring daggers at Jon , for all the three dishonorable knights named by Jon , were his banner men , and one his own son, plus there were rumors that what the mountain did was on Tywin Lannister's order.

"Beside, if that is how the faith of seven rewards murderers , rapists and oath breakers with knighthood, then I'd rather be a simple barbarian from the brazen north keeping to his old gods who blessed me with the strength to become the warrior that I am today " Jon said the last words with a soft smile

"Jon, for every knight that has dragged the title to the mud , there are knights who hold honour above everything , there is Ser Barristan the bold , Ser Arthur Dayne was the greatest knight—" blackfish spoke but was cut short by Jon who for the first time in anger , said

"Arthur Dayne was no knight , he was the most vile man to roam this realm" this caused everyone to gasp , Jon then said

"what kind of knight he was , that he helped Rhaegar bloody Targaryen into kidnapping an innocent girl of sixteen , who was not just a daughter of a noble house but also betrothed to another , so no Ser bryn Den , Arthur Dayne is even worst than the mountain in my eyes "

He then looked at the King and said

"Arthur Dayne was as much responsible for my aunt's death , as Rhaegar Targareyan , and not a day goes by that I do not wish that I was born two decades earlier so that I could have cut down both of them myself , for they did to my aunt"

The moment Jon's eyes locked with the King , he knew that he had him , there was a fire burning in his eyes that Jon associated with pain and regrets . He decided to end this spectacle

"So pardon me your grace, I f I do not want to be associated with the likes of Mountain , Kingslayer and Arthur Dayne"

"Enough" roared Ser Jaime,

"Ser Arthur was the greatest knight to ever live"

Jaime Lannister said as he proceeded towards Jon and took his sword out of the sheath , he then pointed his sword towards Jon in a challenge . Jon did not rise to the bait though . He discretely looked around and noticed the reaction everyone had to this challenge . Tywin Lannister had a satisfied look on his face , which was mimicked by some other lords of westerlands.

Jon too took out his bronze sword, the very same he had repaired earlier and Jaime gave a smirk at the sight of bronze sword AND HE SAID

"Wining a few petty fights and defeating a few weak lords and you think you can dishonor the likes of Ser Arthur Dayne , I was knighted by him , and I can cut you in half in a moment" Jaime Lannister said and Jon decided at that point that he would make an example out of Jaime Lannister , and for the first time in this life he utilized his complete physical powers in front of everyone and Jon chuckled and a flick of his blade , he smacked the Kingsguard's sword out of his hand and sent it flying a few feet away .

Jon might as well have fired a wide array stunner , because the result would have been same , every single person was rooted to their position and Jaime Lannister stood still as a statue , looking at his empty hand with a stunned expression .

"Go on , pick it up. Give it another try Kingslayer" Jon said. Jaime Lannister came out of his stupor after a moment and picked his sword again.

Jaime Lannister lashed out at Jon again , the blade should have gone through Jon's neck had Jon been someone else , but Jon was unbelievably fast . Jaime Lannister dodged and parried as the soldiers backed up while giving the two warriors the room to fight .the northern men chattered and squeaked , egging Jaime on , and Jon got a suspicion that the northern lords were proud to have something common with Jon , who clearly outmatched the supposedly greatest sword in the realm , in every possible way . Normally northerners are not referred to as great warriors in the south , due to their lack of knights and the northern men were satisfied that would not be the case now.

And Jaime Lannister was thinking about how he hadn't crossed swords with an opponent like Jon since … well , since he'd fought Arthur Dayne. Jon was that good. Many of Jaime's skills had gotten stronger over the year , but now, too late , Jaime realized that swordplay wasn't one of them.

He was rustly- at least against an adversary like Jon . They battled back and forth , thrusting and parrying . Without meaning to , Jaime heard the voice of Ser Arthur Dayne , Lord Sumner and even his other instructors , throwing out suggestions . but it didn't help

The glowing violent eyes and lack of any fatigue on Jon's face was unnerving. Jaime , along with others were unable to comprehend how Jon was able to fight with such vigor , after being on road for days and an immediate fight inside Riverrun . The chattering of all the knights and lords –none of it helped .

He feinted a thrust at Jon's gut , but Jon anticipated the move; more like read his surface thoughts. He knocked Jaime's sword out of his hand and once more the King slayer was disarmed . Jon laughed easily . he wasn't even winded . he pressed the tip of his bronze sword against the Kingsguard's sternum.

"A good try " Jon said as he moved past the weaponless Kingslayer towards the King but just as he passed him ,

"Arthur"

Jaime Lannister whispered , but it was heard by everyone. This caused Jon to halt and he asked without even turning back ,

"What did you say?"

Jaime turned to face Jon's back and said , his face still a mask of shock.

"Arthur Dayne , sword of the morning , the deadliest of Aerys's Kingsguard . Your skills are very similar to his , only you are way faster and stronger"

For some reason the comparison seemed to infuriate Jon , but Jaime didn't realize that which is why he didn't see the punch Jon threw and he lost consciousness.

Jon then looked around , he spread his arms wide as if for a hug and then roared loudly

"Anyone else"

His challenge was met with silence

"Anyone" Jon shouted , still no one came forth . He then turned back and looked back at King Robert and bowed slightly

"Your grace"

"Come Jon , dine with me " the King said as he put one arm over Jon's shoulder and they walked towards his tent along with Ned Stark and the Tullys and some other lords . they entered the tent and everyone took their seat around the table

"How about we discuss our next move your grace . Since Riverrun is no longer under the ironborn's control , we have no fear of retaliation and move towards the ironborns " Lord Dandorian said .

Jon looked at the lightening lord and nodded in agreement . As every lord took their seats , the King too sat at the head chair , his father by his side but Jon didn't sit. The lords started arguing back and forth as to how they should proceed .

"Enough " the King roared , and everyone quieted down .

"We will move towards Banefort , from their we will with the aid of royal fleet attack the iron islands an-"

"That won't go well" Jon cut him short , everyone looked at Jon in wonder

"Then what do you say we should do Jon , " the King said , but there was not even a single tinge of scorn in his voice , he was genuinely asking for Jon's input .

"We have to be Carefull , the ironborns have been very bold in this rebellion , and I think they have some other surprise in their pockets , they somehow are convinced that they will not face much opposition , why haven't Redwyne moved their fleets yet then " Jon said looking at the King who looked pensive . Jon used leggilimency to read his surface thoughts and wasn't surprised that the King was indeed worry about his daughter . He was surprised by the man's willpower to keep a cool mask even though inside he a whirlwind of emotions .

"Your grace, give me permission and by the time the combined forces reach Banefort I would deal with the advantage the ironborns have , I will meet you at Banefort . then the royal fleet and Redwyne fleet will attack the ironislands , one by one , and before that I would have taken care of Harlaw , I will then take what ships I have to Old Wyk and receive their surrender and then we will lay siege to Pyke "

There was a unexpected silence around the table when one lord asked

"And how exactly will you take control of harlaw? The ten towers is a formidable castle "

"That you leave to me , but the Harlaws took my sister hostage , do you really believe that I will let them go unpunished , I will burn ten towers to ashes and the Harlaws with it " Jon said fiercely and everyone felt a chill as the temperature dropped a bit

"And what about Old Wyk? Why would they surrender" asked Ser Kevan who represented Westerlands as Lord Tywin was with his son

"Well , I do have the heir of house rain as hostages ? they will surrender , or else their house will end" Jon said

"Where are they , where are you keeping them"

"That is none of your concern " Jon said

"stay in your limits bastard , you will hand over the drum children and their valyrian steel sword " Kevan Lannister said and before anyone could say anything Jon said

"You seem so eager to fulfill your brother's desire to own a valyrian steel blade that you have forgotten that it is my spoil of war , I obtained it as my right of conquest , but very well " Jon paused here and as everyone awaited his next move he drew red rain and kept it on the table and said

"Take it"

Everyone looked at Jon as if he had announced the return of dragons ; as if he was insane . Kevan Lannister after a moment of hesitation approached the table and with reached out to grab the sword with a shaky hands.

"Beware though , touching my sword is the same as touching the stranger" Jon whispered and Kevan Lannister stopped in his tracks . He looked at Jon with wide eyes and then at the assembled lords , but the look on Jon's face terrified him a lot . he backed away from the table as the lords snickered . The King then looked at him and said

"I hope you learned your lesson Lannister , the sword belongs to Jon and he can do with it as he pleases and I like his plan, we will do as Jon proposed"

"Your grace , you jest for sure "

"Do I look like I am joking " the King said in anger

"Well he is a bastard your grace" said Tywin Lannister who had just entered the tent with a conscious Jaime Lannister and just then lord umber banged his fists on the table and got up

"the bastard had done more that what any of you have in this war , Jon had faced armies five times his own and still won , he demolished Greyjoy forces at sea guard , while you Lannisters let the ironborns burn your entire fleet and ports , right under your nose "

He was still fuming as most lords agreed with him , the riverlanders and northerners were Jon's avid supporter , Jon noticed as blackfish said

"indeed , I agree with lord umber , I too have in the years past have heard about how knowledgeable and intelligent Jon is from various maesters and now Jon have proven himself in battle , commanding his soldiers to various victories even when odds were against him plus I can't think of a better plan than what Jon proposed "

"indeed" lord Hoster Tully voiced," you should have seen him when he alone fought against more that fifty Ironborns and killed another hundred and fifty inside the castle , his skills and strength are unmatched , this plan has my support"

"But your grace" kevan Lannister began but was cut short by the King as he said

"Enough Lannister , we will go according to Jon's plan " he said angrily and Jon taking advantage of the King's unstable emotional state , cast a cumpulsion charm on the King who stood up and then said

"In fact , I , Robert of house Baratheon , lord of the seven Kingdoms and King of the Andals , First Men and Rhoynar , appoint Jon snow as the lord commander of the entire combined forces for the duration of this war and only I could supersede his commands "

Everyone was stunned by this , even lord Stark was in shock by the declaration . In the past a lord commander has lead the King's armies to battle , notable being Steffon Baratheon , Cregan Stark , but giving that title to Jon was a shocking for all . Not because he was a bastard , bastards too have acted as lord commander in the past , Brynden Rivers and Orys Baratheon being the most notable , but the reason for everyone's wonder was Jon's age . Jon would be the youngest lord commander in the history . The King then turned to Jon and said

"What do you say boy"

"You honor me your grace " Jon replied

"I am not trying to honor you , just win this war , I have complete faith in you and your abilities" the King said and Jon nodded . The King then took his seat and Jon approached the table and addressed the lords

"I have already told you my plan of action, now the armies of Riverland , Stormland and vale will march towards Banefort where they will wait for the royal and Redwyne fleet . Lord blackfish and lord Royce will command this force . Your grace will accompany this force too. Lord Stark will take the northern force to cape kraken from where we will Lauch our first assault , by then I would have eliminated all the advantages the ironborns have , from Banefort I will then decide how to attack the islands" Jon said

"And what about the Westerland army ?" Tywin Lannister asked

"I was coming to that , the Westerland army will guard the western coast , I will divide them into six segments " he said

"What " he said in outrage , "will we not take part in the war"

"You will , you will be our line of defense" Jon said , though he knew that there was no need of any defense . He wanted the Lannister out of his way for this campaign

"Very well then , the army will march for their respective destinations in three days time " Jon said

"Lord commander , what is this advantage that ironborns have , what do we know" bronze Yohn Royce asked

"Well they have three of them " Jon said which caused muttering amongst the lords and the King's eyes widened. He looked at Jon and said to all the other lords

"This council is over , we will convene when the lord commander orders, now leave, Jon , Ned, Lannister and kingslayer stay"

Again all the lords exited the tent and the King asked Jon

"What do you know "

"Well I know that you are a man of immense will power to appear so calm when your own daughter is a hostage , you have my respect for that alone" Jon said

"How did you know this" Tywin Lannister ask , shooting a suspicious glance at lord Stark

"I have my ways , but I must say , it must be really disappointing to have your son and princess kidnapped from right under your nose " Jon said causing Tywin Lannister to throw a hard look at him

"Jon" the King said as he got up and approached Jon and stood right in front of him.

"Can you rescue them?"

"Can I? No your grace , I will . unless Ser Barristan beats me to it " Jon said causing everyone other than Ned Stark to look at him in shock

"What does that mean?" Ned Stark asked and it was Jaime Lannister who answered

"Ser Barristan was sent to rescue my brother and Niece and the Redwyne boy"

"But the question is" Tywin Lannister asked,"how did you know about this , a spy?"

To which Jon just laughed and after a moment said

"That is the thing lord tywin , most have very limited though process , I don't need spies to figure out things like this and to answer your question ;observation and a mind superior to everyone"

Jon smirked at the lord of Casterly rock .

"But how did you know" the King asked

"Eliminate the impossible and whatever remains no matter how improbable must be true" Jon said , which confused them even further and Jon said again

"I noticed the absence of Ser Barristan amongst your Kingsguard, i knowhe isn't unwell and also hasn't been sent to lead on any other front of the war , plus he does have experience in rescuing hostages , hence my conclusion that Ser Barristan was most probably sent on a mission to rescue the three hostages "

All of them were looking at Jon as if he was a wight walker , except Ned Stark who was used to Jon's astounding observation skills.

"Brilliant" the King said

"how will you do it" Tywin Lannister asked,"How will you rescue them?"

"As I said earlier , there is no use telling you my plan , no one has the skills and balls to executer them other than me , plus I doubt anyone else would be able to comprehend it " Jon said and was pleased to notice the flaring of Tywin Lannister's nostrils .

"Well I have complete faith in you " the King said as he put his hands on Jon's shoulder.

"Very well , we all leave the day after tomorrow , it's been an exhausting day , I should take some rest " Jon said as his father and King nodded and Jon left the tent. But he didn't go towards his Tent , he went towards Riverrun , which was right now uninhabited as Servants were still cleaning the bloody mess created by Jon . As he entered the godswood he saw Marwyn and dobby . the trio then went towards the heart tree and disappeared .

* * *

Jon , ,Marwyn and dobby apparated near Harrenhall , Jon could sense wards from the isle of faces , wards very familiar to the muggle repelannt wards of Hogwarts. They approached the lake and Jon conjured a boat and the trio got into it as the boat moved towards the isle of faces .

Marwyn then spoke to no one in particular

"According to popular belief After centuries of fighting between the Children of the Forest and the First Men during the Dawn Age, their leaders finally came together for a ceasefire. That moment was the signing of the Pact, and it took place on this little island in God's Eye. As per the Pact, the First Men claimed pretty much all of Westeros, except for the deep forests which were declared Children territory. The agreement also included that no more weirwood trees shall be cut down. To seal the treaty, the children carved faces on all the trees on the island, which came to be known as the Isle of Faces. The Order of the Green Men was established, and they Served as the Guardians of the Isle. My lord, do you think the order exists or perhaps children live on the isle still?"

Jon too had wondered about this order of the green men , there was not much known about them but he was certain that children of the forests did not dwell on the isle , as he knew from bloodraven's memories that only a handful of children were alive and they were all north of the wall. He looked at Marwyn and said

"I believe that it's impossible that any of the Children live in the Isle of Faces, and the Order of the Green Men must have been established from among the First Men. We don't know if the order still exists, or who or what is present in the island, but we will find out soon enough "

Jon was armed with NIGHT and the elder wand, and he was certain he could face any foe , he was the strongest wizard of his previous world afterall . just then a small cry from sky drew his attention towards the white avian ;Hedwig. He knew Hedwig was extremely powerful , and as such he had kept her hidden from everyone , but he might need her on the mission he was about to embark .

"I think they exist , I mean, After the Pact, the First Men adopted the gods of the Children, but the Andal invasion threw a spear in the delicate balance. They conquered the First Men lands, butchered the Children wherever they were found and burnt down all the weirwood groves. Of course, they couldn't cross the Neck and everything in the North remained safe. Every weirwood south of the Neck was burnt down, but the Isle of Faces stood unmolested, which by itself is odd."

Jon to agreed , after all How difficult it would've been for soldiers to row across the lake and burn down the island - unless what Old Nan said was true, and the Green Men really had magical powers. And interestingly, King Harren Hoare the Black used weirwoods in the construction of Harrenhal ,most likely obtained from the Isle and that castle was turned into ruin not long after it was completed."

And also unlike moat Caillin , it was not at all difficult to attack the isle , maybe the fear of the isle was very deep rooted , after all Even though there are towns and fishing villages around the lake, and people do go fishing in the lake, there is no mention of anyone going to the island. Maybe they thought it's cursed, or they're just too scared. But just then Jon sensed an intrusion upon his mind , some magic was trying to get into his mind , Jon easily repelled the magic . they were about to reach the shore when the magical probe returned , this time hundred times stronger , but it was still no match for Jon's mental defenses .

'so there are probable some magical being on the isle ' Jon thought as he told dobby to remain invisible.

After a few moments they reached the isle and got out of the boat ,Jon looked around the forest they have appeared in, it was an ancient forest. It reeked of age. Its woody incense was from centuries of snapping branches crashing to the forest's floor and rotting silently. The composting, organic smell rose up in waves like a miasma. Every sprawling heart tree they passed under reminded him of a watchful guardian, a silent sentinel of the groves.

They decided to venture deeper into the tangled heart of this primeval forest. He hoped that it would reveal its dark secrets to them. The further they went, the more mystical and spellbinding it became. Huge roots spread-eagled the ground, twisting like the great backs of sea dragons. The foliage became thick and lush, forming an arch of fairytale-red above their heads. Arthritic boughs, gnarled with age, dripped their bounty of nuts onto the path. Briars, brambles and berry trees flanked the trail, making it impenetrable on either side. Shuffling noises came from deep in the interior, deadened by the cunningly woven web of leaves.

"I have never seen so many wierwood heart trees in one place , ever. I don't think I have seen any tree other than a heart tree on this island" Marwynn said

And Jon nodded in agreement . he too was surprised, but for a different reason , it was the concentration of raw magic in the forest that surprised him and he knew he had picked the right place for what he had in mind . Just then Jon stopped and Marwyn followed suite . Jon looked around and gave a smile and said in a whisper

"Reveal yourself "

They waited for a few moments but there was no response or movement . then it happened a figure came out of from behind a massive heart tree , shrouded in a green cloak and hood , then another appeared and another and soon enough they were surrounded by two dozen of them. Just then another jumped out of the tree and landed in front of Jon , about ten feet away; probably their leader

He was massive , Jon noticed , easily larger than hagrid but not fat , Jon could see his strong physique even underneath the cloak he was wearing , Jon then noticed that all of them were tall , the shortest person was six and a half foot . the leader took one step towards Jon and Jon was surprised to find that he was a wizard , though not even as strong as an average wizard of his world , but still he was elated by the discovery and Jon knew immediately what he had to do .

"I come in peace" Jon said in old tongue to which the man responded by throwing a fireball at him which Jon vanished without even moving a muscle . the leader was a bit taken aback by it but the others then got into fighting positions and Jon knew it would be a fight of magic. He took out his wand and said to dobby and Marwyn

"Only defend yourself"

And then for the first time in years, actually for the first time in this world , Jon was ready to unleash his powers. He threw spells after spells at his foes and eaily shielded their attacks . the remaining dozen men attacked at him at once but what Jon did amazed them; he apparated a few feet away and taking advantage of the surprise he stunned four of them in quick succession . The others were now clearly wary of him . they formed a circle around him ,but just then they felt the coldness and heard a screech and Hedwig flew down in all her glory , lightening crackled around her . the green men after a moment went down of their knees and submitted to Jon.

"Who are you, you have the blood of the first men in your veins , but the first men never had this kind of powers , I don't think even the children had this kind of powers" their leader said in old tongue.

"I am a wizard , I am from Winterfell" Jon said

"You are a Stark?" one of them asked

"No , I am bastard of lord Stark " Jon said

"Do all the Starks posses powers like yours" he asked to which Jon laughed

"No , no one possess the powers that I do " Jon said.

"What about you , you are the order of the green men , right?" Jon then asked

"Indeed, my name is Glex" he said

"My name is Jon" he said and the asked, "tell me more , your order is a mystery to the outside world now "

"I would love to , and I apologize for attacking you , we assumed that that anyone who could bypass the wards around the isles must be a threat, I request you to remove the bindings on my brothers." Glex asked and Jon nodded and enervated the stunned green men . Glex told them then Jon and his companions were not enemies. Jon then conjured stone for everyone to sit and lit fire in the centre . they all sat down as one of them approached and offered them fruits which Jon , Marwyn accepted .

"So tell us about your order" Marwyn asked

"Very well" Glex replied

"You speak the common tongue"

"We also speak valyrian"

"How"

"Well we learn languages quickly , and when lord valaryon landed on the isle to seek our advise , we learned the language he knew; valyrian. And lord valaryon was not the first to seek our advise "Glex said

"a long time ago , when the children of the forests and the giants warred with the first men , a sect of the first men , who had some magic in them procreated with the giants , their offsprings were rebuffed by both the races , these children inherited powers of both of their parents. They could practice magic like the first men , mild elemental magic , but were also physically strong like the giants , although not as tall or strong as giants . When the pact between the children and first men was signed , the children gathered these hybrids and taught them some magic and formed the order of the green men , to guard the isle of faces . But no attack ever came , the wards around this place did their job . But over the years the order has deteriorated , we are only a shadow of our former might."

"How?" Marwyn asked

"Centuries of living on this isle and years of inbreeding has turned us weak , I am afraid the order of the green men is dying , we are the last generation , in a few years , we will be no more "

"My condolences " Marwyn said .

"Thank you , now what about you Jon , how is it that you have such powers, even the valyrians never had this kind of power "

Jon though about it for a moment , he had come up with a story after hearing some soldiers talk , they were saying that Jon's mother was probably a goddess . Jon knew from tom riddle's experience that a name is important to gain power , Voldemort had to rely on his heritage as Slytherin's heir and Jon knew he would have to do something similar .that is why he had Imperioed as many soldiers as he could to spread the rumors about Jon's divine parentage . He knew he would have to convince the green men to follow him so he said

"Dobby"

And immediately dobby became visible and the effect was evident , the green men all went down on their knees as Glex said

"I though the children of the forests were no more"

"You are right , but when the oldest of the old god take birth in the mortal realm , I had to accompany him as a loyal Servant , " dobby said as Jon smirked slightly watching his plan working

"We are at your Service my lord" Glex said

"Rise" Jon said

"How may we help you my lord" Glex asked

"How many of your order are there?" Jon asked

"We number at eleven hundred your grace, of which about hundred are old , not too old to fight , but no more in their prime . "

"Very well , I want you to gather the elders of your order , I will teach them the art of magic , the art of fighting , and these elders will then teach the same fighting techniques to the others and then I will train them personally . IN RETURN ALL I ASK IS ONE THING" Jon said.

"What is that my lord? Glex asked

"Loyalty, absolute loyalty "Jon said to which Glex said with a Serious expression

"Anyway I can prove my loyalty my lord, I will"

"Approach , and give me your left hand" Jon said and Glex did just that and Jon marked another of his follower . One by one Jon marked twenty of the green men; the strongest And the most powerful of them and then he bound the remaining to them by magical vows . about fifty men under one marked follower. He them marked the older men , all seventy three of them , as they would train his armies in the future , after being trained by jon . the they all , at their own accord swore loyalty to Jon. And after some time Jon asked glex

"What do you know of Bloodraven"

"The three eyed raven from beyond the wall , he has no reach inside the isle of faces or our minds "

Jon nodded , although Jon was a bit surprised by the fact that bloodraven had valyrian blood , but was able to utilize the magic of the first men , this cemented the belief in Jon's mind that despite having proficiency for different types of magic , any magic user could wield any kind of magic , like his own world , with some exceptions off course . Jon had never given much importance to the bloodline and it's impact on one's power , but even he had to agree that some powers were indeed embedded in one's blood , parseltongue and matamorphagus came to his mind. But in this world, a lot of characters were indeed strongly rooted in blood , almost every notable house had their distinct features . Now Jon focused on the actual reason for his visit.

"Glex , take me to the center of this island" soon , all of the green men , Jon , dobby and Marwyn reached the center of the island , surrounded by wierwood trees with faces . He magically dig a hole in the soil , put a wierwood seed inside and then cut his wrist and let a huge amount of blood inside the hole . he then motioned for Marwyn who produced a dragon bone from his satchel and Jon turned it into powder and put it inside the hole too. Then Jon added the obsidian wardstoen inside and put Marwyn's valyrian rod inside it . He then covered the hole and the took out his bronze sword from and struck it in the ground . He then backed away and started chanting in a tongue unknown to both Marwyn and the green men.

But within moments they could feel the huge level of raw magic concentrating, but Jon kept up his chanting and all the wierwood trees around them started glowing , and the glow started coming towards the bronze sword and then Jon started chanting and yelled

"Now Hedwig "

And a huge bold of lightening hit the sword , but didn't stop and soon a wierwood tree sprouted from the ground but it was glowing blue and within moments it was glowing so much that no one could look at it , and the lightening didn't help any .

And when it died down , the green men and Marwyn were in awe of what was in front of them , a gigantic wierwood tree, with a beautiful bronze sword , that was also glowing with a blood red ruby on it's rain guard which seemed to merge with bronze as if it was one and a blue glowing stone at the pommel and a white glow emitting from it . there was a dark grayish edge to it and a pale white fuller in ; embedded in the base of the tree .

Jon stood up shakily , extremely tired , and summoned his magical bow and handed it to dobby . He then approached the tree and took out the sword; a long Xiphos and threw it towards Hedwig who caught it with the pommel . He then looked at Hedwig and dobby and said

"You both know what to do ."

Dobby nodded in understanding and Jon saw Hedwig flash away and that was when he lost consciousness.

* * *

 **i hope you liked it . the next chapter is already underway . and i will post it soon. but first i will update my other story ,'the rise of the house of black", i have been neglecting it for some time now in favor of other fics i am working on.**

 **so please review it as they are very motivational , and if you have any queries , please ask. and share this story if you can please.**

 **also i was wondering if fanfic editor reduces the number of words in a chapter , i have been observing this in all my chapters? anyone?**

 **-thanks .**


	4. Chapter 4

**AU-**

 **I know i have been gone for a while , and i am extremely sorry for that . i was actually waiting for season 7 to end so that my plot won't diverge too much from the cannon . besides i just kept on writing chapters and was too lazy to proofread them hence was not able to upload them.**

 **expect regular updates from now . next chapter will be uploaded within a week .**

 **i have recieved a lot of messages saying that i should shorten my chapters. what do you guys say ? please do tell.**

 **Now to answer some reviews and messages-**

 **wildrain03 i hope this chapter answers a part of your query . as for hedwig unable to find neville will have a reason , will be revealed soon. neville is about to enter the story in a few chapters.**

 **galahad- i agree with you , but jon is a powerful man. he might not be able to hurt tywin publicly but he is a powerful wizard, he is too confident of his powers to consider a muggle , even a powerful one as a threat . he is still harry potter , he won't be cowed before powerful men, because he is powerful in his own way. anyway soon jon will create an image so great that most won't even dare antagonize him . that is jon's aim in this war , to establish himself as a powerful man.**

 **monkey kix ass- very soon my friend**

 **shadow wolf 15846 - well his soul did merge with the horcrux inside harry.**

 **bella-swan11- i was thinking along the same line , but jon won't understand this yet. in time maybe.**

 **ihatehotweather123- i agree and jon will teach her a lesson in time. what name do you think he should take?i would love your suggestion and why, and house motto too. and no i assure you he won't be in any way subservient to the starks, he is a freaking powerful wizard for god's sake. i hope you are satisfied with how marcyella is resued .**

 **joe lawyer- thanks a lot man , your review was very insightful , i actually would love to discuss it with you further.**

 **alec-potter- soon my friend . i assure you you will be satisfied by what i have in mind.**

 **now enjoy the chapter and please review guys .**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 4**

He was in some woods, it was nighttime but despite that the woods looked extremely beautiful in the moonlight. It was unlike any forest Robert has ever seen, everywhere blue winter roses bloomed and only wierwood trees were present. That coupled with the cold winds and snow, Robert figured he was somewhere in the north.

'Perhaps I am beyond the wall' Robert thought but then another though entered his mind 'how did I get here?' The last thing he remembered was drinking wine after the feast that was thrown to honour him by the Banefort's. He remembered going to his chambers with some serving wench.

He was without his weapons and he felt he walked ahead, he stopped dead in his track as he came face to face with an enormous lion about to attack an injured stag. The stag seemed to be struggling, about to meet its end but the lion turned to look at him and its attention was now on Robert as he left the stag behind and stepped towards him.

He looked around in hopes of finding anything that could be used as a weapon, but it was futile; there was only snow and winter roses around and soon the lion lunged towards him, mid-air it was intercepted by something or someone, which to Robert looked like a white blur attacking.

When the two bodies stopped fighting on the ground after sometime they both stood back up while putting some distance between them and it was then that Robert saw his saviour properly ; a direwolf, an enormous direwolf , with fur as white as snow.

The lion roared loudly, angry that his prey was denied to him but the direwolf was not bothered by the apparent threat. The direwolf was at least two heads taller than the lion.

'It's bigger than a horse' Robert thought

The direwolf then snarled, which to him sounded like a prolonged thunder. The lion seemed to hesitate when faced with the stronger creature but the king of jungle was not to be easily cowed. It lunged but the wolf was fast, way too fast for an animal especially of its size. With ease the direwolf threw the lion away and bit on its neck and with a yelp the proud lion breathed its last.

The wolf then turned its head towards him, its purple eyes shining with barely hidden intelligence. It looked at him and then started walking away. After going some paces, it looked back to him expectedly.

'Those eyes' Robert thought out loud. He knew those eyes.

"You want me to follow you" Robert asked feeling stupid talking to an animal while his concern about how he got here still lingering in his mind. The wolf nodded and Robert followed the giant beast for it had saved his life and he didn't want to roam the woods alone lest another beast attack him. Upon hearing the sound of a waterfall it looked like that the gods have themselves granted his wish because he was feeling tired and thirsty after such a long walk. He all but ran towards it and as he came out of the clearing he saw the most beautiful sight he had ever seen a huge waterfall surrounded by wierwood trees and blue winter roses.

"Where did the damn wolf go?" he wondered out loud as soon as he realized that the direwolf was not around but he was too tired and thirsty to care. He went ahead to drink some water but just as he was about to drink the water he stopped for some reason and turned his head towards the centre of the pond where a giant wierwood tree rose and sitting on one of its cluster of roots was a woman.

All his fatigue vanished the moment he saw her for she was the only woman Roberthad loved in his entire life and even after her death he had never stopped loving her. His fatigue gone, he leapt into the water and swam towards the tree not paying any attention to the chilling water. He swam towards HER and as he came out of the water he came upon the small piece of island and his heart skipped a beat on seeing her. He had forgotten how beautiful she was.

"Lyanna" Robert choked.

"Robert" Lyanna said softly standing up and then in a mischievous tone she said "You have become fat."

Robert looked down at his overgrown belly and his cheeks burned red with embarrassment.

"Come. sit" Lyanna said as she sat down on the huge roots of the wierwood tree, Robert too settled down across her.

"This is a dream" Robert said to himself.

"Off course it is a dream! "Lyanna said laughingly.

"I am dead Robert and the only way they allowed me to talk to you was through dreams, although if you wish to go back to the other girl you brought to your bed then you may leave" Lyanna said sharply and then she started to get up.

"No "Robert said loudly and in a fearful voice.

"Please stay" he pleaded.

"We don't have much time Robert, they only granted me some" she said

"Who are they that you are talking about? "

"The old gods, who else?" she said and Robert at first looked at her in amazement and then nodded and asked with sincerity

"Tell me, what do you want to talk about? Is there something you left unfinished? Tell me Lyanna and I will fulfil it for you"

"Thank you Robert "she said and then she got a faraway look in her eyes as she said "it all began when Rhaegar kidnapped me and I heard how Aerys killed my father and brother and how you and Ned were raising your banners to go to war. I turned to the gods . I prayed to all of them , the old , the new , the drowned god and the fire god . But none answered until one day when the oldest of the old gods came to me and I struck a deal with him."

Robert was listing attentively so Lyanna continued "he would protect me from Rhaegar and would ensure yours and Ned's victory in the war in return of a small favour."

"What favour?"

"You see Robert, he said that a great evil that has slumbered for many millennia has woken up and only he could stop it but the gods cannot manifest in the mortal realm and the only way the mankind could be saved will be if the god had a son in the mortal realm, half god and half mortal. He wanted me to bring his son into the mortal realm "she paused here and then said "and I agreed."

There was a silence for some time as Robert digested the information.

"You had a child" he asked in amazement to which Lyanna nodded

"Myblood, my son and the son of the king of all gods "she said with fondness

"Where is he?" Robert asked to which Lyanna gave a smile as she said

"Have you met anyone recently of that age who is absolutely godlike in every aspect?"

Robert didn't have to think hard. He knew who Lyanna was talking about "Jon snow" he whispered and Lyanna nodded .

"Jon is your son?" he asked

Another nod

"Not Neds?"

Another nod

"And he is the son of a god?"

Another nod

"Not a bastard?"

And Lyanna just shrugged at that. It suddenly started to make sense to Robert. Jon's beyond genius intelligence, his inhuman strength and speed, and his godly skills in a fight.

'No wonder he defeated the kingslayer so easily' he thought

"But why didn't Ned tell me that he was your son?" he asked

"Can you really blame him? He promised me that he would protect my son at all cost and he thought that Jon was Rhaegar's son and was worried that he would end up the same way as Rhaegar's other children did, wrapped in gold and red ." she said coldly

"I would never have hurt your child Lyanna. How could Ned not trust me? "Heasked

"Why are you surprised Robert, after all you did condone the brutal murder of Aegon and Rhaenys Targaryen? "

Robert looked down in shame as Lyanna said again

"You know Jon hassworn to kill the ones responsible for the deaths of Ellia and her children"

Robert was a bit disturbed by this as lyanna continued

"besides it wasn't you who Ned was afraid of but others around you. Those who would see Jon as a threat and those who would use him for their own agenda. But I guess Ned knew you wouldn't hurt my son but Jon would have been a threat to your hold on the throne, which is why Ned spared you the pain of that tough decision and-"

"And that stupid honourable fool took a stain on his honour, just to spare me of pain " he said to which Lyanna nodded "I don't deserve him , do I?" he muttered to himself

"O Robert…" Lyanna began to speak but then Robert asked again

"But how did you die then?"

"Birthing a demigod is not easy Robert. The old god had warned me of the risk in the very beginning." she said

"Then why, why did you agree to it?" Robert asked in despair

"To ensure that you and Ned survived the war. "

"But why you, why did it have to be you? "

"The Starks have always carried the divine blood. Bran the builder was the son of the goddess of winter and hence I was the only option. "She said and then smiled softly.

"Does Jon know?" Robert asked after a long silence

"That he is my son? No" Lyanna said and Robert could see tears swelling up in her eyes.

"Lyanna"Robert began,"He loves you. He may not know that he is your son but I guess deep down he feels a deeper connection with you. He loves you a lot. He turned down knighthood, the chance to become the youngest knight in the history because he didn't want to be in the same order as Arthur Dayne, Gerold Hightower and Oswald Whent were as he blames them for your death."

Lyanna nodded to this and wiped tears from her eyes and then turned towards Robert and said

"Robert, an ancient evil is coming andJon well he is not prepared. Yes he is strong and in a single duel he can defeat this foe but before that he could do that he would be drowned by its army. And thanks to Ned, Jon is a bastard in the eyes of realm, with no army of his own, no allies. Hence the gods have decided to give him an edge, which is why they allowed my spirit a chance to talk to any one person."

"And you chose me? Why not Ned? Why me?"he assked

"Because I know you will help him,besides the gods will soon send a weapon to the mortal realm , but he would still need a lot of help and support if mankind is to survive the doom that is approaching "

"I will help him "Robert said

"You will?" lyanna asked

"Lyanna, he is your son. Off course I will help him"

"You are a good man Robert "Lyanna said as she kissed him on his cheeks and then said "Our time here comes to an end."

"is this all real , or is it just in my head" rober asked as lyanna's eyes widened as if recalling something

"off course it's in your head , but that doesn't mean its not real" lyanna said as she got up

"Will I see you again?" Robert asked

"Oneday, in afterlife but you must wake up now as the gods have already sent a gift for Jon and Robert,remember, never reveal what I have told you to anyone "she said and before Robert could ask about the gift she morphed into a beautiful avian, with silvery white feathers, its glow blinded Robert and he closed his eyes.

And when he opened them again he found himself back in his bed and then he noticed it.

The serving wench he had brought to bed was gone.

He sat upright in bed and rubbed his eyes "it was just a dream "he muttered.

But just then he heard the loudest thunder in his life. He quickly got up and opened the window and what he saw amazed him. Around him, in the sky a storm was brewing

"Ser Aerys" he called out and the kingsgaurd entered his room.

"Your Grace" he said

"How long has the storm been raging?" he asked

"It came out of nowhere my Lord, some time ago the sky was clear but then clouds and lightening came from all directions, so much lightening, the winds are extremely powerful and cold. It's as if the smith is working in his forge "he said and then it hit Robert and he recalled what Lyanna had said in his dream

"A gift "he muttered softly

"What your grace?" the kingsgaurd asked

"I said I doubt it's the smith" Robert said

"Look there your grace" Ser Aerys said pointing towards the dark sky.

Robert looked up and sure enough in thesky, flying was the very bird from his dream. Every time it flapped its wings, the lightening and winds got stronger and the temperature dropped further.

"I have never seen a bird like that "Ser Aerys said

And then it happened, a thunder bolt so potent that it nearly blinded him, struck the ground some distance from the castle. "Let's go" he said.

He and Ser Aerys went towards the ground, on the way they were joined by blackfish and Lord Royce and Hoster Tully and his son along with riverland knights. The kingslayer too joined him along with some other westerland knights. They moved through the encampments towards the point where lightening has struck.

When they reached there they saw a large number of soldiers already present, most of them stood in wonder while some were on their knees with hands folded and a prayer on their lips. And the reason became apparent to Robert too.

In front of him was a large wierwood tree, similar to the one from his dreams. Lord Royce who was standing by his side, took out his sword from his sheath and knelt,many soldiers and knights from Runestone followed suite. Till now Robert has considered his dream as just that, a dream but the bird and the tree proved otherwise.

'this means it was real, all of it. Lyanna and the gods too and of course Jon' Robert thought and absentmindedly he too knelt in front of the wierwood tree. Seeing their king kneeling, almost EVERYONE knelt down too.

"Your grace look" Blackfish pointed out and Robert wondered how he could have missed it. There, embedded in the roots of the tree was the most beautiful sword he had ever seen.

Robert got up and moved towards the sword but dare not touch it.

'A gift indeed' he thought and he knew no one would be able to pull the sword out except one man. He looked at Ser Aerys and asked "any word from Lord Commander?"

"No your grace, the northern forced must have just reached Cape Kraken, but I will ask the maester to send a raven".

"No...no... need for that ".

Robert looked around,the march from Riverrun to Banefort has taken almost a moon due to the massive size of the army but blackfish and Lord Royce were good commanders. They were able to move the huge army relatively fast.

The Westerland forces had been divided by Jon into six smaller armies and were spread across the western coast for defences. He recalled Tywin Lannister being pissed at being left out of the war.

Jon had delivered a massive blow to the lion's pride, defeating the kingslayer in the most insulting fashion and being named Lord Commander over Tywin or kingslayer.

Robert knew that he should have appointed any other Lord but he couldn't choose Tywin or Ned, both would have opposed each other. The others, well there was no one who he thought had the caliber of leading an army this huge.

But then he had met Jon, he had off course heard of him and his various victories. The boy had fought five battles in a single day, a feat surpassing his own and Robert's gut had told him that Jon was not an ordinary boy and had given him command of the entire royal force. His guts had never ever betrayed him.

Jon had reminded him of a lot of people. His skills with a blade indeed reminded Robert of Ser Arthur Dayne as correctly pointed out by the kingslayer. Prior to seeing Jon dance with his sword, Robert too had believed Dayne to be the greatest sword of all time but Jon was definitely ahead of the last Sword of the Morning. For one, unlike Dayne Jon was also a master bowman; the best according to Ser Balon Swann. Besides Robert knew if the two of them were to fight in their prime,Jon would have been victorious. He reasoned that even if both were equally skilled with a sword,Jon was good, inhumanly so and when it came to strength,Jon reminded Robert of himself in his youth.

'I wonder how good he is with a Warhammer' Robert mused silently.

Jon's sense of duty was off course a reflection of his adopted father and the ferocity which Jon possessed and his strong resemblance to Lyanna was visible to him even in their first meeting and now he knew why.

To think that Jon wasn't his best friend's son but Lyanna's; the love of his life, was surreal.

'A part of Lyanna still lives' he thought

Normally he would have disregarded his dreams to just that dreams but the massive wierwood tree that wasn't there some time ago and the sword caused him to reconsider.

The sword could only be described in one word DIVINE, truly a weapon of gods.

Now Robert knew for certain that he was right to follow his guts when he had named Jon as the Lord Commander but just then Lyanna's warning echoed in his head

'a great evil has risen and only Jon can face him and he isn't ready yet.'

And Robert remembered his promise to Lyanna.

"Anything for your son Lyanna" Robert muttered to himself.

His thoughts were cut short as a septon from Banefort came, followed by some men carrying axes as he shouted

"Cut this down".

And before Robert could raise objection, a man moved ahead and was about to strike when he screamed and went on his knees and clutched his head in agony he stopped after a while and the man went limp. This was enough to deter anyone from trying to chop down the tree. Even the septon looked at the unconscious man in fear.

"What the fuck do you think you are doing?"Robert roared. The septon looked even more afraid but gathered his courage and said "Your Grace, it's the symbol of those heathen gods."

"Those heathen as you call them, make up half of the realm" Robert shouted back. And truly, north was almost as big as the rest of the six kingdoms combined.

"But your grace I-"he started speaking but was cut short

"Enough"Robert commanded. He looked at the white avian soaring proudly in the air and he knew how he could help Jon.

"I had a dream last night" he shouted, this got everyone's attention so Robert continued "the gods talked to me, they said only the greatest warrior of all time would be able to pull out this sword "he knew his voice was heard by many and soon it will spread like fire but what happened next wasn't something he was expecting, a voice was heard it was a soft soothing voice, yet it carried power. It was coming from all directions as if the air itself was speaking,

"whosoever shall be able to pull out the sword, should he be worthy shall possess the power of the gods ".

It was gone as fast as it had come, everyone was chilled by the voice and those who were sceptical about his dream were now looking at him seriously after sometime a knight from vale stepped forward , he cautiously approached the tree and wrapped his hands around the swords grip and tried to yank it free.

Nothing happened.

He then used both his hands but the result was same. After some time he gave up and stepped back. Then Ser Balon Swann moved forward and attempted to pull the sword out only to fail too.

And that was it. One by one every knight present started coming forward to pull the sword out and they all failed .it was after sometime that Sandor Clegane stepped forward and everyone watched in anticipation as the hound was definitely stronger than most knights present but even he failed .

"Your grace" called out Lord Dondarrion the king looked at him and he asked "won't you give it a try your grace?"

"No" the king replied "I know I won't be able to "the king replied much to everyone's surprise and so it continued, knights after knights tried to pull the sword out but none could.

"Come soon Jon, wherever you are "he muttered to himself.

* * *

Far away, in the center of the isle of faces, Jon sat on the roots of the gigantic wierwood heart tree with his eyes shut. It was a fascinating site for Marwyn,his master who sat amongst the tree without his ever faithful companion the strange yet powerful avian that his master called Hedwig who had flown away some time ago. The tree's white bark was glowing with silver hue as his powerful Lord worked his magic, what he was doing was unknown to him.

He still remembered the day when it all changed for him, when the obsidian candles in the citadel had lit up for a brief moment he had been perplexed by it but no one in the citadel had believed him. He had looked for the reason behind the lighting up of glass candles but to no avail that was until he had met Jon Snow. A mere boy of seven namesday old, with the intelligence and knowledge of various fields that stumped even the other archmaesters and himself with wisdom in his words that even men ten times his age didn't possess. His short stay at the citadel was enough for all the archmaester to recognize the level of intellect possessed by him.

The citadel had tried to lure him to join their order, but they had been turned down. It was then he had revealed to Marwyn his power, he was a wizard from a higher world. Marwyn had been stumped but the kind of magic that he commanded had removed all doubts from his mind. He had taught some of that magic and other things to Marwyn andMarwyn had then agreed to serve the powerful wizard for the life. In reward his master had performed a ritual on him, granting him more power in return for his ability to sire children and then he had even crafted a wand for him and bestowed upon him his mark.

Marwyn had then filtered out wizards from amongst the acolytes and had brought them to his Lord. He had tutored them too and the acolytes were all able to forge their chain in a record time. Though Lord Jon was not a maester, all the acolytes dedicated their success to Jon Snow, something that made the others in citadel jealous; both the maesters and archmaesters who were not as good as Jon and the acolytes who were not accepted by Jon as his students.

Till now, a staggering thirty five masters were in the service of Jon Snow, while many other maesters across the realm who had even tiniest bit of magic in them who themselves were sworn to various castles were also under his service. For instance, the maester of Highgarden, Sunspear, Arbor, Bronzegate, Riverrun and many other castles worked for him. How he was able to get so many in his service was still unknown to Marwyn. All he knew that all the maesters under Jon's service be it those who were taught by him or those who were sworn to different castles were all trained by him to be effective spies, they were all taught basic magic to perform their spy work and were all taught a new language;Greek, invented by his Lord to communicate.

the wierwood trees that had been planted by him and other maesters across the continent and even in essos were very helpful. they had all sprung forth and grown into huge trees in an instant. the power of the isle of face channeled the power of the majestic thunder bird and now even the maesters could apparate from one place to another using the wierwood trees as anchors . besides the safe houses and spy bases set up across the realm were hidden by a magic called fiedilius , powered by the wierwood trees.

And now here they were, while the north's forces marched to cape kraken, the Lord came to the isle of face and discovered the order of greenmen who were apparently offspring's of giants and the first men. They had all sworn the vow of servitude to Lord Jon and were being trained by him for the last month and Marwyn couldn't help but be surprised by the speed with which they were learning. Lord Jon had implemented many different methods of training that were strange and unknown to Marwyn but the effect was clearly visible. The greenmen, who were already physically imposing have improved a lot. Something told him that in battle, they would be unstoppable. Just then Jon opened his eyes and looked around before setting his eyes on Marwyn.

"How did it go my Lord?" Marwyn asked

"As planned "he answered as he got up on his feet and indeed, his plan to capitalize on the king's unresolved feeling for Lyanna Stark was successful.

Which is why he had utilized a trick from Bloodraven's set. He had sent a dream to Robert Baratheon and had informed him a fabricated story of his divine parentage. He felt a bit bad about using Lyanna Stark's memory like he had, but he did tell the king truth about one thing Lyanna Stark was his mother.

He had informed neither Marwyn nor Dobby of this and he intended to keep it to himself. He recalled how he had come across this piece of information. He looked at the wierwood tree and recalled how he had used the powerful foci coupled with his strong mind magic to pilfer through Bloodraven's mind easily.

He was off course sad to hear that his father was RhaegarTargaryen but was also relieved to know that he had not kidnapped or raped his aunt, 'No ,mother' he corrected himself. Robert's rebellion was built on a lie, Rhaegar and Lyanna were in love and married too.

'and for their love thousands died'Jon thought grimly. He refused to think of them as his parents, it had been hard enough to think of Ned Stark as his father for he still thought of James and Lily potter as his parents. They had given their lives for him, his mother had refused to be spared by Voldemort and had given her life for him and despite never knowing Lily Potter he still had felt a connection with her, but he didn't feel any such connection with Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen.

He had felt a brief pang of hatred for Ned Stark for adding the tag of bastard to his name but then he had thought about it, the man for whom honour meant everything had sacrificed it to keep Jon safe, treated him as his own son. He couldn't recall even a single instance where he had been treated differently than Robb by him. He had utmost respect for Ned Stark for that. Rhaegar Targaryen might have been his sire in this world, but Ned Stark was his father in this world and Jon had decided that if the truth about his parentage was ever revealed, he would renounce any ties from House Targaryen.

He was off course disappointed in both Lyanna Stark and RhaegarTargaryen for their recklessness had pushed the realm in chaos. He could for a brief moment forgive Lyanna Stark given that she was just a girl of 15 namesday, but Rhaegar had no such excuse. Rhaegar Targaryen was probably the most irresponsible man ever, for even if he may not had been mad like his father but his irresponsible behaviour made him as much as a danger; abandoning his wife and children, absconding with another girl and that was a madness in itself.

'I wish I still had the resurrection stone' Jon thought as he wanted to know what drove the two to take such a step. He also saw the vision where Ned Stark along with six others who had fought against the three kingsgaurd at the Tower of Joy and Ned Stark promising his sister to keep him safe. He saw how the three kingsgaurd had fought to death to protect him. His thoughts about Arthur Dayne were mixed now. Jon at one hand had nothing but respect for him due to his unwavering loyalty but also dislike for his inability to differ right from wrong also now he realized that the kingslayer was in the right to draw comparison between his and Ser Arthur's skill.

All the while he had believed that his mother was Ashara Dayne, due to both of them possessing the same pair of eyes, but more due to what death had said to him while telling him about infant Jon snow's fragile body,

'see this child is already dying, the result of two powerful bloodlines merging for the first time in history, both contradictory in nature of magical genes they carry, thus this peculiar fever'

All this while Jon had come to the conclusion that by two powerful bloodlines, it meant Starks and Daynes both claimed descent from the first men and moreover there was no record of a union between Dayne and Starks by marriage. Both families were powerful in their own right and Jon had attributed the contradictory magical genes to the geography of their residence.

Jon knew that living in a particular climate for generations could alter the elemental magical proficiency of those wizards and what could be more contradictory than hot Dornish blood and icy northern magic plus given the rumours about Eddard Stark and Ashara Dayne, his conclusion was an obvious one. But now Jon knew better, it was the icy northern blood of the Starks of first men descent and the fiery blood of the Targaryen's of valyrian descent. He couldn't help but think of the pact of ice and fire made during the Dance of Dragons. He also though about Bloodraven, who also had both valyrian and first men's blood.

'It would seem that these two lines coming together can result in magically powerful children' Jon thought. Although Jon didn't put much credibility to the blood supremacy even he couldn't deny that magic and blood were linked. Sometimes addition of new blood could wake up dormant magical powers. Nymphadora and Tom Riddle came to mind. Jon knew he had to take advantage of the situation, which is why he had manipulated King Robert in this fashion. Plus, he was quite unsure of how Robert would have reacted had he known that he was Rhaegar's son. Would his love for LyannaStark triumphed over his hatred for anything Targaryen, or maybe it could have been the other way round. Which is why he had told him the fabricated story of his parentage.

'This dream will work way better than any compulsion charm or imperius curse' he thought 'What better way to tell a man to do something when he himself has dreamt about it.'

Plus right now Jon had a lot on his mind beside the war. He was quite taken back by Bloodraven's powers; to know everything about everyone, living or dead; past, present or future; to send visions and dreams to anyone. It was mind boggling, even the most powerful seers of the magical world didn't have that kind of power. And once again Jon cursed himself for taking him lightly after their last encounter. A good thing jon had blocked himself from his visions .

'Bloodraven is probably the most powerful person in the realm, except me and Neville. But still he could be a threat to my plans' Jon thought. He knew he will have to take care of Bloodraven; either get him on his side or eliminate him but he didn't want to kill someone with such unique powers.

'I wonder if there are other wizards in this word as powerful as Bloodraven' Jon thought. On the surface this world seemed to have week magic and wizards but now Jon was cautious, he was taking every rumour of magic seriously now, be it the white walkers or the shadowbinders of ashahi or the magical beasts of sothorys.

"A trip around the world is in order" Jon muttered

"What my Lord?" Marwyn asked

"Nothing. Marwyn I would be leaving today. Tell everyone to keep training ,hard "

In the last one month Jon had been training the greenmen. About a hundred of the half giants were being trained, of those hundred Jon planned to use the eldest eighty as his future trainers. The other twenty of them were the chosen leaders of each squadrons and of them the three most magically and physically powerful were chosen as his future personal guards.

And Jon was surprised by the speed with which the green men picked up the new skills. Within a month Jon had been able to train them in various weapons and various other stuff. Everything about fighting he had taught Neville in his previous world, the same training was implemented for the greenmen. The reason being that he wasn't training soldiers but future trainers and commanders thus they should know all the styles and weapons used in fighting.

The reason they were able to learn so quick were many. Jon was a great teacher as Harry Potter was, plus the green men possessed a natural affiliation for fighting, and Jon had implemented a lot of muggle technologies to improve their body and stamina. He had created a lot of equipment which the muggles of his world used in gymnasiums;Squat Station, Barbells,Bench-press,Power Tower, Cables and Pulleys, Dumb Bells,lat pull down machine and many others. Plus the basilisk's blood was very helpful, it was the best form of supplement one could have. Although he had to recreate weights as the greenmen were easily able to bench press 500lbs.

But to further increase their ability to learn Jon had performed various rituals on them. The ritual to improve their senses; sight, smell, hearing and taste. A ritual to further harden their skin, as hard as diamonds so that nothing short of a magical weapon like valyrian steel would even scratch them. With the help of theabundant magic present on the hundreds of wierwood trees on the isle, the rituals were charged quite easily.

And the result was evident,a hundred halfgiants, trained by him, were in extreme good shape. Their physique would have made even the greatest muggle bodybuilder of his world jealous. Every inch of their body was covered in muscles. Their tall stature was an added bonus. The shortest of them was seven and a half feet tall while the tallest of them was Glex who was easily nine feet tall.

The elders were now capable gym trainers so that they could train others and any future army Jon would raise. They were now referred to as masters, who could train anyone in the art of warfare. It was all essential for his future plan.

But the leaders, he had trained them even furtherbecause while the older men would train his future army, the leaders would train and lead the other green men and Jon intended to turn them into an elite group of soldiers, the strongest in the world and as such he had also trained them in various magic. Nothing much,just offensive and defensive spells included but not limited to stunners, cutting curses, sectumsempra and various shield charms. In addition to that he had taught them how to apparate, turn invisible and use the cruciatus curse and the killing curse, although they were ordered to not teach the unforgivable to anyone else.

Off course compared to him or Neville, they were nothing. But they were leagues ahead of any army or soldier in this world. He had also crafted wands for the leaders from the wierwood trees and obsidian. He silently summoned Glex as Marwyn asked him

"Where to my Lord?"

"To rescue the hostages "he answered

"You know where they are?"

"Yes I looked for them and found them, but the problem is that they are not kept together"

"And where are they?" Marwyn asked

"Don't worry Marwyn" Jon said as Glex and Dobby apparated and Glex went on one knee. Behind them came maseter killian, one he had taught himself. Beside him stood Uthor Karstark; youngest grandson of arnolf karstark , castellan of karhold and uncle of lord karstark. And malcom snow ; Ser marlon Manderly's only son and a bastard. They both were not going to inherit anything , uthor being very far removed from the inheritance and malcom being a bastard of lord manderly's cousin. But the two of them had one thing in common , they were wizards too. Weak , very weak , but wizards none the less. And had undergone even more brutal training than the green men and were now very formidable warriors .

"Rise" Jon said and Glex and the trio complied.

"We will be leaving today, instruct the commanders to start training the others and tell the masters to keep up with their training "Jon said

"I will my Lord. I assure you we will train hard" he said, his voice a deep baritone.

"Not you Glex, you won't be training them" Jon said

"My Lord?" he asked puzzled

"Don'tworry, you will come with me" Jon said and at his curious look elaborated

"There will come a time when you will lead the green men for me and so I must train you personally and I still have a lot to teach you "Jon said. Jon knew Glex was a great leader and an excellent fighter and the giant of a man stood three feet above him. His strength was immense, even way more than the trolls of his previous world. So Jon needed Glex to be utterly devoted to him. Jon then waved his wand and a table materialized upon which was a gauntlet and a sword.

Jon picked up the gauntlet and handed it to him and there was a slight glow from it as he put it on.

"It has been locked to your blood. No one would be able to take it off. Press the obsidian and say armour" Jon instructed and Glex complied and instantly he was covered from head to toe in an armour similar to his own, except the cape was was a great sword as wide across as a man's hand and taller than jon, reminded him of ice but it wasn't made of valyrian steel. Anyone else would have found it difficult to wield it with even two hands but Glex picked up the massive sword with just one. With one of his gigantic hands wrapped around the hilt he gave a few practice swings, and once again Jon was awestruck by Glex's sheer size. Glex put his sword on his back and Jon again waved his hand a bellmace appeared. It was quite unique, its handle was five feet long and its head was round with a diameter of around twenty inches.

"You are unstoppable with a Warhammer and a mace so I forged a new weapon for you " Jon said and it was true too . Jon knew that with this mace he would be able to kill a heavy armoured knight in one blow. Glex approached the table and put his hands around the handle.

"It's made of bronze, enchanted with runes of the gods and my own powers." Jon said, the mace easily weigh two tons but Glex easily picked it up with one hand and swung it by just using his wrists. Just to test it Jon conjured a boulder and motioned for Glex to hit it. With one hit the bolder was broken into various pieces and Jon knew that now in a battle Glex would be unbeatable.

Jon then turned to Marwyn and said "teach the masters about various landscapes of this world and war tactics. "

He then turned to look at Glex and said "it's time for your first battle my friend, let's take this war to ironborns now".

"I will be honoured to fight beside you"

"No not yet you won't" Jon said

"You will go to Harlaw, ten towers to be precise and burn it to the ground, try to minimize the casualty. Then burn every castle in Harlaw, you have a week to accomplish this. The maester of ten towers is one of ours, he will meet you at the first light at the wierwood tree in the godswood of ten towers and aid you."

"Understood?" Jon asked

"Yes my Lord" Glex said

"It's your first mission Glex I wish you luck " Jon said

"I will not disappoint you my Lord " he said

"Then you will apparate to old Wyk and make Lord Drumm surrender and I will meet you there within three weeks"

"And Glex if need be then do not hesitate to remind Lord Drumm that his sole heir is our prisoner "Jon said giving a meaningful look

"I will my Lord. But what of Lord Harlaw's son" he said

"The reader is not at Harlaw, he is with Victarion Greyjoy but do not hesitate to reveal that I have captured Rodrick Harlaw junior" Jon said

"Dobby will accompany you "

"I will master" dobby said

"Marwyn send the words to the maesters and men to spread the word of the emergence of old gods to the iron islands "

"I will do it immediately my Lord"

"but before that send a word to our men in lys and tyrosh to initiate the next phase of our plan"

"i will do that immediately my lord" the old man said as jon turned to dobby

"Dobby your mission will be difficult, after Glex's attack on Harlaw, many will turn to the newly sprouted wierwood trees for prayers,and I want you to fulfil the wishes that are in the realm of your powers but be as discreetly as possible. I don't expect you to be able to fulfil them all. "Jon commanded him

"I will "

Jon nodded and they all; Jon, Dobby and Glex , Killian , Uthor and Malcom apparated away.

* * *

Eddard Stark stood at the helm of the war galley .Along with him stood Lord Manderly and Lord stood at the helm of a landing cog waiting for the inevitable as soon as the ships landed, he and his army would need to hack their way through the IronBorn that stood ready all along the cliffs leading up to the drum household. While Eddard was doing this, his soldiers would have to drag siege ladders and even a battering ram up the treacherous path. A brutal assault like this is the only way to crush them, as a prolonged siege would be impractical due to the infertile nature of the Harlaw. A victory here will give him a base of operations to take out the rest of Harlaw.

He looked back where Jon stood with the captain at the wheel. He was telling something to the captain. The northern force had barely reached Cape Kraken after a long march of three weeks and had rested for a week when Jon had rode to the camp and had immediately ordered five thousand soldiers to get ready to sail for iron islands. He recalled the meeting of the Lords where the plans had been formed

 _ **-Flashback—**_

"We will take five thousand men with us, leaving the rest ten thousand for defence of the coast. We have ten war galleys. We will first go for Harlaw and Lord Umber and Lord Karstark will take control of the island with two thousand men "

"Just two thousand"

"Don't worry Lord Karstark, you will face next to no resistance there. You will establish camp at ten towers and spread your men to establish control over the island."

"why won't we face any resistance , I know the majority of the forces are away but still , ten towers is a formidable castle , taking it down with just two thousand men is impossible "

"I didn't say anything about the ten towers or conquering any castle"

"Then what?"

"Every castle in Harlaw including the ten towers will be destroyed by the time you reach ten tower"

"What!" he exclaimed

"By whom?" lord Bolton asked

"By me but that does not concern you, what concerns you is that you ensure the smallfolk are not subjected to any harsh treatment. We are not the Lannister's .We do not condemn the smallfolk .nor are we the ironborns, we do not reave or rape."

"I understand "Lord Karstark said.

"Then Lord Stark will take rest of the men, and all of the ten war galleys and any longship you could get your hands on from Harlaw and sail for blacktide, here you will wait for me.

"And it is imperative that you do not attack until I tell you to. Princess Myrcella and Horas Redwyne are kept hostage at castle Blacktyde. I will sail for the castle in rowboat during the night while the galleys will be stationed out of vision. Once the hostages are rescued I will return and only then would we attack. After establishing control of blacktide castle,Lord Jorah Mormont and Lord Bolton will take command of two thousand men and subdue rest of the island."

"Then, I along with Lord Stark, Lord Umber and Lord Manderly will take every available ship to old Wyk. It is essential that we take old Wyk and I will try my best to subdue old Wyk without resorting to violence "

"What's so special about old Wyk?"

"It is considered to be the holiest of all the iron islands. It is where the legendary grey king slew the sea dragon nagga, we need to take old Wyk to break their morale "Jon replied

"And why should we avoid violence in taking the old Wyk?" Lord Umber asked

"As I said, it is a holy island for the ironborns, besides enough blood has been spilt already. Plus we have Lord Drumm's heir as a hostage so he has no other option but to surrender old Wyk. "Jon replied

"I meant to ask Lord Commander, where are all these hostages Aeron Greyjoy, Drumm heir and Rodrick Harlaw junior."

"You need not Lord Bolton." Jon said.

"Lord Manderly, I hope by now the war galleys have been crewed properly"

"Yes my Lord, repairs have made, sails replaced, ready to sail at the moment's notice "

"Good, ready yourself my Lords, ready your men, we take the fight to ironborns tomorrow " Jon said as the northern Lords cheered in enthusiasm.

"I hope we get to some fighting finally" Greatjon umber roared

 _ **-Flashback ends-**_

Greatjon's dreams had been quashed Ned thought. There wasn't much fighting. There simply was no force to oppose them in Harlaw and the lack of any castle has resulted in the smallfolk and whatever nobility remained alive to surrender to the small northern force under Lord karstark.

Ned was still shocked by the burnt down ten towers. Ten towers was the greatest castle in the iron islands. But its current state suggested as if dragon fire had swallowed the mighty castle. It reminded Ned of Harrenhall.

Ned had sent a disapproving glare towards Jon but Jon had not paid him any heed. He recalled when Jon had sworn vengeance on the Harlaw back in Riverrun. He has fulfilled his vow. But what mystified Ned still was how Jon had achieved it. Dragonfire was not an option and hence his next guess was wildfire but people on the Harlaw claimed that the fire was dark reddish, and it took the form of various animals .

Ned discarded the later titbit of information as exaggeration. No fire takes the form of an animal.

After establishing complete control over Harlaw which took about a week due to the population of Harlaw, they had sailed for Blacktyde. How Jon knew that the hostages were at Blacktyde, Ned didn't know, although it was clever of the Greyjoys to keep their hostage in the least suspicious of islands as Blacktyde has only three castles. but what he did know was that Jon had rowed a boat towards Blacktyde castle under the covers of fog and had returned just before sunset with the rescued princess and the young Redwyne Lord. They had been accompanied by another man, the most famous knight in the realm; Ser Barristan Selmy.

Neither Selmy nor Jon would talk about what had happened but the young Lord of Arbor had told the men that Jon had killed every soldier in the castle and had rescued them both and while on their way out of the castle they had encountered Ser Barristan. Apparently Ser Barristan and Jon mistook each other for ironborns and had duelled. Horas had told everyone that Jon had been able to disarm Ser Barristan easily and would have killed him too had the princess not recognize the kingsgaurd in time.

Then the northern forced had landed on Blacktyde and had marched for castle Grayrock, the seat of house Chenlaw who had already been warned about the fate of Blacktyde had shut the castle door .though they didn't have enough men to fight , they had sufficient men to hold a siege. Gwenda Chenlaw was a very beautiful girl of seventeen namesday, her beauty was though surpassed by her arrogance as she had issued a one on one challenge which was readily accepted by Jon. And not surprisingly, after a very short fight grayrock had fallen too.

Although what surprised Ned was that the Chenlaw girl had started following Jon around ever since then like a puppy. He had also heard a rumour that Jon had spent a night in her chambers which worried Ned a bit as Jon despite being honourable was still a boy and also that Jon was of age when boys get curious. He just hoped that Jon knew what he was doing. Adding support to the rumour was the fact that Gwenda Chenlaw had been allowed to maintain control of the castle after it. Nothing the Lords said had dissuaded Jon, he was adamant in his faith.

And after conquering Blacktyde they were sailing towards old Wyk. Ned had to hand it to Jon, he started small in his conquest by choosing the islands which were easily subdued.

"I still say we should catch a bigger fish and conquer great Wyn or Orkmont." Greatjon said

"That wouldn't be wise Lord Umber" ser wylis Manderly said

"Oh and why is that knight?" Greatjon asked

"LordJon's strategy is brilliant if you ask me, including old Wyk, we would have subdued three of the seven islands with no losses on our side,Harlaw is said to be the strongest of the iron island and we took it without any trouble."

"I have to admit, the war is going as smoothly as it is because of LordJon" lord Manderly said

"True his strategies and plans are of a warlord who has been fighting for decades not a boy of twelve namesday" ser wylis said said

"thirteen" Ned interjected" he turned thirteen namesday a month ago "

"Well it'd be better if he would share his plans in advance, although when he didn't reveal his plans to the leech Lord, now that made my day "Greatjon said as he laughed

"True he keeps his plans dark and impenetrable as night, but you have to agree my Lords, when he moves, he falls upon the enemies like a thunderbolt."Lord Manderly said.

"True I have never seen a warrior like him. He moves as swiftly as the wind and as closely formed as the wood. He attacks like fire and hold his own as a mountain. "ser wylis said

"That's true"greatjon agreed.

"Oh just admit it father, you are just upset that you didn't get to fight "Smalljon said causing everyone to laugh

"Well yeah, I want to fight, that blasted boy is so keen on hogging all the glory for himself" Greatjon said as he too laughed

"WellLord umber "Jon said as he approached them followed by his ever present followers, a maester by the name of killian , Uthor Karstark;youngest grandson of arnolf karstark , castellan of karhold and uncle of lord karstark, malcom snow ; Ser marlon Manderly's only son and a bastard himself , but the young boy was exceptional with a sword and had declined knighthood when offered by his father. He was the only follower of old gods in the manderly household . Although Ned had to agree the two of them were very good warriors, surprisingly the young maester was even better than the three and under Jon's training in the last few months they have improved beyond imaginations. Ned was certain that they were the best north has to offer. Both had been able to hold against ser barristan in a duel and that spoke levels of their skills .

"To win a hundred victories in a hundred battles is not the acme of skill. The supreme art of fighting is to subdue the enemy without fighting and the greatest victory is that which requires no battle "Jon told Lord Umber

"But why not conquer great Wyk or Orkmont"

"In war, the way to win is to avoid what is strong and strike what is weak. " jon said .

"we are near , let's prepare for battle" ned said as he looked around. Jon had ordered to take the ten war galleys and had sailed for old Wyk first and Ned prepared himself for his first naval battle as Greatjon was getting excited about finally getting to fight but to his surprise the Lord of old isle had been waiting for them at the docks, but notto fight. White banners flew over whatever longships remained at the island and at the port and castle.

They had surrendered.

Everyone was surprised except Jon as he said

"no my lord , there will be no fighting today"

Sometime later As the Lords landed on the docks they were surprised and alarmed by the presence of a giant man standing beside Lord Drumm. All the Northman were wary of the huge man. He was covered head to toe in black armour very similar to Ned's own with a green cape, down to the visor,which puzzled Ned. But then Ned had noticed that even the ironborn looked afraid of the man. The huge man towered over even greatjon. The sword on his side was as big as ice but ned knew that unlike himself , the giant of a man would be able to swing it with ease with just one hand. Ned was more curious about the weird looking bronze mace he held in his right hand.

'It must weigh a ton' ned thought but the man held easily .The man then moved towards them with surprising agility causing northern mans to go for their weapons but they were surprised when the giant knelt to Jon

Despite being on his knees he still reached their eye level.

"Old Wyk is yours my Lord"

"You did well my friend" Jon said motioning for him to rise and ned looked at Jon in surprise.

"Shall we ride Lord Drumm" Jon asked to which the Lord nodded

Then the entire party rode for drumm castle. Ned was a bit surprised by the sheer brilliance of Jon's plan. He had established control over three of the seven islands without much fighting.

'I wonder what he plans next' he thought.

They were riding through the village when suddenly a young child came in front of Jon's horse and Ned knew that the child will be stomped by the horse. But to his surprise, with speed he didn't think possible Jon reeled his horse back as the child looked at the uncontrolled horse in fear, but as a result of stopping so suddenly Jon was sent reeling on the ground.

The Lords immediately got off their horses as Jon got up from the dust yet he looked as regal as ever, as if it was impossible for him to look anything but beautiful.

"Are you all right Jon?" he asked

"Oh I am fine" Jon said just as lord drumm on the other hand rounded on the child and walked menacingly towards her as the hundreds of villagers gathered around and from the crowd a woman ran towards the child and then went on her knees and folded her hands in front of the Lord drumm and said

"pardon her milord,she is a just a child "

But the Lord kept walking and Ned was disturbed by the fear in the woman's tone. He then looked around and saw that all the villagers were looking at the woman with resigned trepidation and at Lord Drumm in absolute fear. Lord Drumm was about to smack the woman and Ned was about to shout for him to stop but his hand was caught mid-air, by none other than Jon.

"And what do you think you are doing?" Jon asked angrily, his glowing violet eyes bore into Lord Drumm's and he took a step back.

"Just educating my subjects on how to behave in the presence of the Lords" he said loudly and tried to yank his hand free from Jon's grip. Keyword being tried as he couldn't break free of jon's grip.

"I will not allow you to commit such atrocity on innocent people " jon said as he pushed the lord back.

"You don't know a thing about keeping the smallfolk's in line, Jon snow" he said and there were hushed whispers amongst the smallfolk. They were all looking at Jon in absolute terror. They all must have figured out who Jon was, the words of Jon's deed must have reach them too. Cape Kraken, Seagard, Riverrun, Harlaw and Blackstone. One by one they all went on one knee and the child's mother said to Jon, weeping

"Please show mercy my Lord, she is just a child, I will discipline her, I assure you".

"There is no need for that, she is a child, if children won't make mistakes and cause mischief then who will" Jon said giving a small smile as he helped the woman back on her feet and motioned everyone else to stand too. They all were looking at Jon with uncertainty as Jon knelt down to the child's level and asked her in a soft voice

"What is your name, child?"

"Leena" she said

"Did you get hurt? "

"No" the girl said in a soft voice and shook her head, but the blood trailing down her shoulder and her tears said otherwise. Jon then motioned for his maester to come and the maester inspected the wound and as he touched the wound the girl flinched

"You are a brave girl, it is a good quality, never lose that Leena. But you should not lie, do you understand?"

The girl nodded but then flinched again as the master touched the wound and the master and Jon shared a look and then Jon said

"very well Leena, have you ever seen magic?" he asked and the child shook his head.

"Do you want to see magic? "He asked again and this time she nodded and all the children looked at him in wonder. Jon noticed it so he asked out aloud

"Does anyone else wish to see magic or should I show it to only Leena? "

Hearing this many children gathered around Jon their parents looked a bit worried but didn't stop their children.

"I was once visiting the Eastwatch by the sea, it is a castle on the wall, has anyone heard about it" Jon asked as all the children nodded excitedly .

"There I met a sailor from Ashahi,"

"What is Ashahi?" a child suddenly asked and Jon smiled and said

"It is a faraway land, on the other side of the world where wizards practice magic. Now this wizard taught me a magic trick. Do you want to see" Jon asked and they all nodded like puppies.

Jon closed his hand in a fist and then opened it and on his palm was a silver stag.

"Look at this very closely. Keep your eyes on it" Jon said and then he flicked the coin in the air and the caught it again and when he opened his fist the silver stag was gone, in its place was a gold dragon. The children gasped in surprise. He then clapped his hands and quickly folded them into fists and asked

"Where is the coin?"

Some children pointed to one fist while some did to other. Smiling Jon opened his fist and neither one held the coin. Now even the grownups and the Lords too were looking at the scene with interest and even intrigue .

"Where did it go?" a boy asked in absolute wonder. Jon just shrugged his shoulder and then put his hands behind the ears of the said boy and pulled out a coin as if out of thin air.

"Now where did this come from?" he asked the child and they all giggled in childish joy and Jon too smiled not the challenging smile or smirk that usually adorned his face, but a genuine smile .

"And look, Leena's arm is all good now" he said out loud to the children . and indeed , the would had been tended to as the wound was now covered in bandages. and then jon ruffled the girl's hair .

"be careful in the future, alright " he said and he ruffled her hair as Jon got up the girl hugged his legs and the rest of the children joined her. The parents looked at the children worriedly and were about to tell them to back off but Jon too laughed with the children and after a while the kids moved away.

Jon handed the dragon to the mother of the girl and said

"For your trouble"

"Thank you milord" she said and bowed, tears rolling from her eyes as she said that. Jon and rest of the Lords got up on their horses as an old man stepped forward using a stick for support.

"You are very kind milord. May the gods bless you Lord Snow" the old man said and Jon nodded to him .

"you all have suffered a lot due to balon greyjoys war , many of you must have lost sons or husbands . i cannot remedy that , but i can ease your life as much as i can. Even family that has lost a member in this war will be given ten dragons from the lord's tresurey. While the others will be given a dragon each. Report to the castle within one week to collect it" Jon said the others started chanting Jon's name as the party rode for the castle.

They quickly went to Lord Drumm's solar where rest of the Lords gathered around as Jon offered the head seat to Lord Stark as he addressed the other Lords .

"Lord Drumm you were wise to surrender to my messenger "

"I would like to see anyone dare to say no to him my Lord" Lord Drumm said which caused many to laugh.

"Now Lord Stark is in control of this island. It is a good thing that the other houses accepted to surrender too. Now tell your vessels to comply with Lord Stark's wishes because till the war isn't over you all will be confined to your rooms "Jon finished and the Lords of old Wyk seemed like they wanted to object but none did.

"Secondly, the treasury of house drumm and other houses will be used to give ten dragons for every levy that died in the battle to their family. LordStark will see to it." he said

"What" Lord drum asked in surprise." You were serious"

"no i am jon" he said with a smile which confused everyone but then jon said in a grave tone

"i take my words very seriously lord drum . besides They died fighting your war, a war without cause, their families will suffer due to it. It is only fair that they be given some supportand my decision is final "Jon said

"You may leave now, I wish to talk to Lord Manderly and Lord Stark "Jon said and they all exited the solar. Lord Manderly and Jon sat down as the Manderly knights stood a t one side and and Glex stood beside Jon.

"Do you think a thousand men would be enough to hold the isle?" he asked Lord Stark

"yes, it's a small island "

"Be careful "Jon said to which Ned Stark smiled and said "I may not be as good a fighter as you but I am no slouch either "

"I know" Jon said then he turned to Lord Manderly and said

"Lord Manderly dock the ships,establish control over the coast, take whatever longships there are and get them ready to sail with a skeleton crew , leave no ship behind and when I return have the captains report to me"

"Lord Commander" LordManderly bowed and then he and the Manderly knights left the solar leaving Jon , Lord Stark , Jory and Glex and jon's companions in the room.

"killian , go to the village , if anyone need medical attention , treat them , take whatever supplies you need from the castle . " jon ordered as the master bowed and left

"uthor , malcom. You will stay with lord stark . protect him at all costs ." jon said and the duo nodded.

"now go and help establish control over the isle" he said and the two left.

"Glex stand guard outside" Jon said after sometime

"Jory , spread the men across the castle , establish a patrol of the surrounding villages and the island " Lord Stark told Jory cassel as the duo left the room.

"You looked worried when we left from blacktyde"

"Got a raven from an old friend, Holand Reed" he said

"Troubling news?"

"Yes, his son is very sick. He is on the brink of death "

"Howland reed "Jon asked in wonder as he got a faraway look in his eyes as there was a knock on the door

"enter" lord stark said and master killian entered and handed jon a scorll and said.

"This just came my lord, it's from archmaester marwyn"

Jon took the scroll and opned it and after a while pocketed it and said to master killian

"Maester Killian , send a maester to moat cailin and have a raven sent to Lord Howland reed to collect the said master from the castle , I doubt he would be able to reach the greywater watch. Tell the master that lord howland's son is extremely ill so he should go prepared"

"Yes my Lord"the yound master said and left.

"Thank you " Lord Stark said

"Don't be. He is your bannerman, northern Lord and your friend. He did save your life after all" Jon said and Lord Stark looked at him in wonder and after sometime asked

"How do you know these things Jon , you knew about the attack on seagard , you knew where they were keeping princess Marcella, Tyrion Lannister and Horas Redwyne . Do you know what people are calling you theall-seeing and all hearing , a thousand eyes and one. They fear you"

"I know" jon said

"Yet when the child was hurt and the people were terrified of you, you did the unexpected, so tell me Jon; Do you want people to fear you or to respect and love you" Lord Stark asked as jon smiled and said

"Is it too much to ask for both"

Lord Stark laughed as he said.

"What did the message say"

"oh nothing , just a measure to ensure that i am one step ahead of our enemies" jon said and lord stark nodded and said

"so you do have spies" ned asked

"not spies , merely informants ."

"you have better informants than even the spider , for even he didn't know where the princess and horas redwyne were kept" ned said as jon gave a small smile and ned said

"I just hope this madness ends soon and we can go back home"

Jon looked at him sombrely for a few moments and when Stark asked

"What's wrong , why the long face"

"I won't be going back "Jon said

"What" Lord Stark asked in shock and Jon nodded to it

"But why?"

"I have my reasons "he said

"What reasons?, damn it " Lord Stark shouted

"well, lady Stark feared me , my abilities before the war. And now I can bet you red rain that she would do anything to send me away. Besides to be honest I am sick of it " he said and after a very long pause LordStark asked

"Where will you go?"

"We'll see, it's a big world " Jon said to which ned Stark nodded as Jon said

"I will sail for Banefort tomorrow, from there I will take on the iron fleet and then go for the other islands "

"be safe " Ned Stark said

"you too" jon said as he got up and was about to leave the solar when he turned back and said

"Oh and congratulations"jon said

"For what?"he asked

"Oh you will get to know in a few days. Expect a raven from home" Jon said as he exited the room giving him a mysterious smile

* * *

 **So guys , what did you think. next chapter is on it's way .**

 **Please review it guys , it give me the motivation to work on the story more . so review the story . if you have any ideas for the plot or any interaction between jon and a cannon character you'd like , do tell. if you have any idea for the plot , please share.**

 **Get ready for the first meeting of jon and tyrion in the next chapter .**

 **And once again review and share .**

 **What did you think of season 7 guys?**

 **\- thnaks**

 **winter has come.**

* * *

 **chapter 5 short preview(teaser)**

 _My heart is pierced by Cupid;  
I disdain all glittering gold.  
There is nothing can console me  
But my jolly sailor bold._

The boy then got up and bowed with a certain flare as the men all cheered and clapped. Victarion then stepped forward and everybody stopped.

"you sing well boy "victarion said

"thank you milord " he said

"whats your name boy?"

'''Neville, milord '' he said , his brown eyes sparkling with mischief .


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

 **AU-**

 **Some words were missing and sentences were incomplete earlier, i don't know why that happened, i was getting some syntax error due to which many words were missing after uploading it and sentences seemed unfinished. Sorry for that guys, plz give it another go. Thnx. Plus there are a few minor addition and changes too.**

 **One more thing, this is for my native english speakers, if anyone knows some ballads or songs about war, love, heartbreak or any other genre, plz tell me, i am a bit at loss since english is not my mother tongue, but i know dozens of such songs in my native tongue, so if anyone know of any song, plz PM me. Thnx.**

 **HERE IS THE NEXT CHAPTER GUYS , HOPE YOU ENJOY IT.**

 **to answer some reviews and messages-**

 **noabi- yes it is on purpose. he will face many powerful foes in the coming time.**

 **bella-swan11- you are right , but Jon doesn't think that way right now. and i have already given a hint at what jon intends to do to avenge the deaths of ellia martell and her children.**

 **blood winged fallen angel - Neville doesn't have the mark.**

 **artjr- your ideas are brilliant and i had thought of them all at one point. read and find out , you will not be disappointed.**

 **aubrey bruxton- i can't say how Neville will be introduced as of yet , but i assure you it will be badass .**

 **ROYALTWINFANGS- She will make an appearance.**

 **alec-potter - I agree , and many powerful foe will be there waiting for jon.**

 **condie2013- trust me , you will see in a few chapters as to why he made a gun. trust me it has pretty good logic behind. if you really wanna know i will pm you the reason.**

Willas was sitting in a pavilion that had been erected around the wierwood tree at Banefort. He along with his father and some of their banner men had arrived about a month ago. The reach Lords were extremely surprised by the wierwood tree which had sprung a day before their arrival but Willas was more curious about the sword. Willas was decent enough with a sword, while not as good as his younger brother Garlan, he had fair amount of knowledge about swords and just by looking at the sword he knew that it was a sword of extremely fine and unique craftsmanship. For one, it was made of bronze. He knew that the first men at one time used weapons made of bronze with which they had warred against the children of the forests and the giant's but bronze weapons had gone out of use many millennias ago.

But that was not all that was unique about the sword. In the past month, thousands of people, be they knights, Lords, and even common soldiers alike had tried to pull the sword out, but to no avail. Many notable knights had come forward especially Blackfish, Kingslayer, Ser Balon, Lord Tarly, Sandor Clegane, Hosteen Frey, Ser Arys Oakheart and many more.

Willas himself had tried, but it was like the sword was fused with the tree. What was even weirder though, was the feeling he had when he had put his hand around the sword. Something - probably his own conscience - told him that he was not worthy, that he shouldn't even touch the sword.

Garlan too had failed.

After that common soldiers had tried their luck. Even a number of smallfolks too, but the result was same. None could even move it by a hair's breadth.

And then The Mountain had arrived along with Lord Tywin. As The Mountain had wrapped his hands around the hilt of the sword everyone had watched with held breath, Willas himself included. Everyone except King Robert, that is. He looked calm; certain of the mountain's failure. The King had won a thousand dragons in a bet against his father as the mountain was indeed unable to pull the sword.

Not able to accept defeat, the mountain had raged and had tried to cut down the tree with an axe. Keyword being tried as a lightning bolt had then struck the mountain - rendering him unconscious for two weeks. The smallfolk and soldiers, even some knights were whispering of the old gods.

But perhaps even more memorable event in the last month was what happened with Lord Royce the moment the sword had touched the ground, the first men runes on his bronze armor had shined for some time and anytime he would go anywhere near the sword or the tree the runes would start glowing. Which is why many had theorized that Lord Royce would be able to pull out the sword, but to everyone's surprise Lord Royce had not even tried. He had reached for the sword but had stopped midway, and then had turned back saying, "No mere mortal can wield the sword of the gods".

This had sparked a new set of tales and then Tytos Blackwood had done something similar. A few of first men soldiers from the Riverland, Runestone and Crackenhall had also refused to even try.

But one thing was evident to all by then from the clues -the bronze sword, the wierwood trees, glowing of first men runes on Royce's amour –which everyone had accepted was that only one of the first men would be able to pull the sword considering almost all of the first men were not present at Banefort - given that the northern host was not here -it was argued by some soldiers that only Northmen have pure blood of the first men.

He sat - with fellow Lords around him -while the King listened to the petition of The High Septon Manyard, who had travelled from The Capital to Banefort along with the most devout. Although he wasn't the only unusual arrival, hundreds of maesters , even some archmaesters had also arrived a few days ago to study the sword and wierwood . His granduncle, Maester Gormon , too, had come.

"What do you want, High Septon?" The King asked

"Your grace, rumours are flying around about this sword, the rising of those pagan gods of barbarians. We must quench them."

"And why should we do that?" King Robert asked

"Your Grace, these false gods cannot be allowed to be worshiped! Already many are worshiping this tree." The High Septon said.

"So what do you suggest we do, it is well known that first men worship wierwood trees, I can't stop that." The King said

"Cut it down, like our ancestors did." He said.

"The first men of the north are a part of the realm, and the realm will honor their gods too." The King replied

"My King, you are betraying the gods your ancestors , gods will not forgive this!" He shouted.

"Pardon me for interrupting your grace, but it would be stupid to cut down any wierwood tree" His granduncle spoke up.

"Maester, surely you jest?" The High Septon said

"Oh. I do not. Unlike you, I am a man of a knowledge and any knowledgeable man will agree that cutting down a wierwood tree will lead to a lot of trouble."he replied , Just then a soldier rushed in and everyone's attention was on him as he said something to Blackfish.

"Your grace", Blackfish then addressed the King and said, "Lord Commander has arrived, along with him rides Ser Barristan."

This sparked a fresh wave of murmurs amongst the Lords, and after a few minutes Maester Tyrell said again, "Your grace, except for a few houses, the north is home to the first men - who while not zealous about their gods - will not tolerate if someone were to cut down a wierwood tree. The North will be angry. It will be unwise to gain the enmity of the north."

"The Maester is right" Blackfish said as he gave a pause and then continued "The North is bigger than the rest of the Kingdoms combined and tough land breeds tough men. The ferocity with which the northerners fight is known to all." he finished. "And perhaps you have forgotten High Septon, The North has never been defeated or how many Andal armies have thrown themselves at The North only to be crushed even before even gaining entry? Numerous Andal armies were slaughtered, and heavens forbid, we don't want what Theon Stark, the Hungry Wolf did to the Andals and andolos."

Many shuddered at that. Theon Stark, known as the hungry wolf, was considered the greatest foe the Andals had faced during their holy crusade. One , who had not only beaten them, but had burned Andolos, the origin of Andals to the ground.

"But there is no hungry wolf in the north now." a Septon said smugly after some time ,

"No, but they do have someone even deadlier." Blackfish said gravely and after giving a dramatic pause said

"Jon Snow."

This caused a fresh wave of whispers amongst the Lords.

"You seem afraid of that barbarian bastard." The High Septon said.

"Be careful Septon" The King warned. "You are talking in front of your King and the boy is the most courageous and honorable person I have known, mind your words before I cut your tongue."

"The answer to your question is yes." Blackfish said after sometime "If I were on the opposite side of Jon Snow, I would bescared , one would be fool not to be . the boy fights like the warrior himself , you have not seen him in action, but my fellow Lords from Riverland have seen him, they saw the ferocity in him as he seamlessly cut down scores of men. But then again, it won't be you doing the fighting, eh?"

This caused The High Septon to flush in anger, but Lord Mallister spoke, "I agree with Ser brynden . My men and I saw him in the battle of Seagard. It was as if the he was possessed by the gods. The enemy despite outnumbering us by thrice surrendered just because of Jon Snow."

"My Lords" the King said loudly "You lot have gone too far with your imagination , there will be no war with North, and any action that could spark a war would be punished by death."

"Your grace every war needs a cause, and religion is the greatest cause of war, after all …."The High Septon started speaking.

"No", He was cut short by a loud voice coming from behind the crowd of Lords. As a boy - who appeared to be about his age, but his face betrayed the appearance- entered the pavilion. The Lords parted to make way for the speaker and Willas was taken aback . The boy was tall, taller than him, broad back and shoulders and slender waist, giving the boy a V shape body. His armour emphasized his physique. He came forward to face The High Septon and said,

"No High Septon" his voice was smooth and composed, " religion is not the cause of war , it is an excuse."

"Spoken like a wise man that you are my Lord",an archmaester said and Jon nodded to then greeted the King.

"Your grace".

He then looked around and said,

"What a unique union. Men of knowledge…" Here he indicated towards the masters with his hand.

"…Men who think they have knowledge…" here he indicated towards the Septons causing a few chuckles from the masters.

"…And men of violence, All in one place. What an unimaginable trinity."

He and some men smiled at that. A maester then spoke up,

"My Lord, are you saying that war and religion are not intertwined?" As he asked the question Willas noted there was a look of worship in the maester's eyes which was a bit unnerving. He also saw other maesters were also looking at Jon as if his words will unlock a vault of knowledge unknown.

"Maester Rullen," Jon Snow said "Mankind knew war way before they knew religion, way before they invented gods. War was there way before mankind came, the finest trade waiting for its finest practitioner."

But it would seem the most devout were not yet done as a Septon spoke up in a loud voice.

"You mind your tongue bastard. You are speaking to The High Septon of the faith of seven. He gives voice to the will of the gods and is their foremost servant."

Jon looked at him lazily as he retorted," Not my gods. Besides, if The Seven need a man to give them a voice, then they can't be real gods."

"You dare!The gods only speak through their faithful followers, but a godless barbarian like you won't understand that." A septon retorted

"If that is so then I disagree. I think it is only imaginary gods who speak through a mortal, the real gods act on their own and their actions are quite visible." he said glancing at the wierwood tree.

"That's true" a maester said,"and it's not just one wierwood tree but ravens have come to citadel about hundreds of tree sprouted overnight in various spots, even in Vale and Dorne."

"This is not the end of it, mark my words Jon Snow."The High Septon said and was about to leave when he was interrupted.

"Wait" Jon said as he approached The High Septon and said in a calm yet dead voice

"It would seem you are hell bent on cutting down the tree, but let me warn you", suddenly Jon held him by the neck, lifting him off the ground easily and said in a grave voice, the temperature of the room dropping suddenly. Willas gave an involuntary shudder and noticed that he wasn't the only one to do so.

"If even a single leaf of any wierwood tree is cut, I will personally hunt you down and deliver you a fate that will make even The Stranger cringe. I will destroy every sept in the world. When I am done, Theon Stark will look like naught but a child in comparison."

He then threw the man away and walked back towards his chair.

"Arrest this man! He struck The High Septon, It is equal to striking the gods!" a Septon said.

But much to his disappointment, not many made a move to arrest Jon and as a result some Lords even laughed at the Septon. While a few knights did take out their swords and moved forward to apprehend him but just then a huge man entered the room. The knights who were about to attack Jon Snow, upon seeing the man were rooted to their spot in fear and Willas couldn't fault them. The man –even if he can be called a man -was wearing a unique amour of plate, black in color, he was broad shouldered, his arms were as thick as tree trunks and the man was easily three heads taller than anyone in the room.

Willas had met The Mountain earlier, and he had thought that The Mountain was a giant of a man, but this man - seemingly in service of the Lord Commander - was easily a head taller than even the mountain, putting him around nine feet tall.

On his side was a massive great sword - longer than Willas' height -, but that was not the only weapon he his left arm was a type of a mace, its handle was six feet long and thick enough that Willas knew he won't be able wrap his hand around it, and the sphere was round, with a diameter of approximately two feet. It was metallic, both handle and sphere and seemed to be one piece instead of the handle and sphere being fused.

'It must weigh a ton',Willas thought, but the man carried it over his shoulder easily, as if the weight of the mace was insignificant, and considering his size, it probably was insignificant to him. The knights all went back to their places as The High Septon and the most devout quickly left.

The man then bowed to the Lord Commander and then he sidestepped, revealing a girl standing behind him with a boy.

Willas knew the boy.

'Redwyne's son' he though and then he looked at the girl with golden curls and green eyes and he knew she was probably a Lannister.

Behind the two kids stood the most famous knight in the realm and Willas recognized him easily; Barristan the bold himself.

The girl then rushed towards the King and the King Hugged her. The Redwyne boy also rushed to his uncle, who embraced him.

"So she is The Princess", it dawned upon Willas.

The King let go of her daughter who then rushed to hug Ser Jamie Lannister, her uncle.

The King then approached Jon and - surprising everyone - hugged him and the Lord Commander hugged him back.

"Thank you my boy", he almost choked and then The Redwyne Lord got up and approached Jon Snow and he too bowed to him "I thank you Lord Commander, house Redwyne will always be indebted to you for rescuing Horas."

'Rescue' Willas wondered and he could see the confusion on everyone's face too.

"Thank you, Ser Barristan." the King said

"No need to thank me your grace, I didn't have to do much."

"Pardon the intrusion your grace, but what is happening" Blackfish asked and after some moments the King addressed all the Lords

"My daughter, princess Myrcella and Paxter Redwyne's son were kidnapped by the Ironborns and were kept as hostage as a deterrent against us. Ser Barristan was sent on a mission to rescue them, for there was no better choice for the said mission, but after Lord Commander Jon had rescued the Tully's and Sansa Stark from Riverrun alone from Ironborn. I personally asked Jon to rescue the hostages, and as we can see he has emerged successful."

"To Lord Commander Jon Snow, for whom nothing is impossible."He raised his cup as others followed suite.

Jon too, took a cup and said, "to Ser Barristan the bold, the greatest sword I have fought."

The men all cheered ser Barristan's name. Willas did too.

"But why would you fight SerBarristan?"Tywin Lannister asked after some time. To which Ser Barristan himself replied.

"Lord Tywin, after months of laying low in the ironborn army, I had gotten to know that the princess and young Lord Redwyne were kept in blacktyde, the least conspicuous island of them all. I scaled the wall of the castle, but I noticed the guards standing on the wall, but they paid me no heed even when I came face to face with one, and upon closer inspection I realized that they were dead and were tied to the wall to make it look as if they were on patrol duty and I knew something was up."

Here he stopped for a moment and then resumed and said.

"So I entered the castle, but everywhere swept my eyes I saw dead of them were spread across the courtyard, corridors, in the kitchen, in the barracks and in the main hall, along with the Lords. I then made my way towards the dungeons when I came across a man, taking the princess and Lord Horas away and I confronted him immediately."

He chuckled and Jon snow smiled too as Ser Barristan continued his tale.

"We both fought and I have to agree, I have never faced a warrior as great as him, even Arthur in his prime couldn't disarm me so easily, and he would have killed me too had the princess not intervened and stopped the Lord Commander. Then we made way towards the coast where the northern force had already arrived, leaving a force along with Lord Stark boarded the ship and sailed for Old Wyk and then here."

"This calls for celebration, in honour of Jon The Impaler." the King announced

"I am afraid I will have to skip the celebration Your grace. there is a war to be won, battles to be fought and I am pleased to announce your grace that I have successfully subdued Old Wyk,Blacktyde and Harlaw."

This surprised Willas and he thought about how could a man with just ten thousand men and just ten war galleys subdue three of the Iron Islands. Apparently not everyone else was thinking the same as Ser Kevin spoke.

"You should not have struck The High Septon. The High Septon speaks for the seven here on earth. Strike him and you are striking the gods themselves."

"Well, good for me ser Kevin, I do not fear the gods. I have hardly ever prayed to the gods, yet I know I am closer to them than those fossils who are running a trade in the name of gods" he stopped, looking at everyone and then the maesters and then spoke again.

"Any man who carries out his duties with honour is more pious than any religious servant. You will earn more divine merits by following the path of righteousness than by praying to a statue."

Willas was deeply moved by the man's words and extremely surprised by the wisdom that the boy of thirteen namesday displayed. He saw various masters furiously writing down whatever Jon snow said and listened to him tentatively.

It was then that the princess asked Jon Snow,

"Ser? I know of Ser Arthur, he was a knight of Kingsgaurd in the days of mad King Aerys."

Jon nodded and then went on both knees to come to the princess's level. The gemstones he had for eyes glowed brightly as he said, "Yes, he was the sword of the morning, the deadliest of Aerys Kingsgaurd and my father,Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell, bested him."

Willas of course knew a bit about the death of the last sword of the morning. He never had the pleasure of meeting Lord Stark, only knowing him by reputation. But he had been extremely surprised when he had learned from masters that Ser Arthur Dayne was killed by Eddard Stark. Willas had often wondered that Lord Stark must have been a great warrior to be able to best Ser Arthur. Also, if rumours about Lord Stark and Ashara Dayne were true, then it was no wonder Jon snow was such a great warrior; nephew of the deadliest knight in the realm and the son of the man who was able to kill the said knight.

"Ser Barristan called you Arthur when you were fighting in blacktyde , are you The Sword of the morning?"

"No princess," he said and then in a whisper continued,"I am of the winter".That seemed to satisfy the princess as Jon Snow got up and King said loudly, "that's a great title, Sword of the winter, better than all those title smallfolk are using."

Willas had to agree, he had heard about what people referred to Jon snow as Jon the Impaler, The demon of the north , The blessed one, The invincible and many more.

"Titles are just that, your grace, empty word for introduction, a man's true introduction should be by his skills and honour."

"Oh Jon, you sound too much like Jon Arryn. Makes sense though, you were named after him, but I disagree, had anyone performed even a tenth of the deeds done by you, he would have been since you have refused knighthood, I will legitimize you and no Jon, this time I won't take no for an answer." the King said, surprising everyone. But Willas had to agree, each and every heroic deed performed by Jon Snow, of which there were dozens; a person would have been knighted for performing any one of had also heard about him turning down knighthood.

"No your grace, I must object" Jon Snow said and then he whispered something into the King's ears who nodded and then said "Well, I will let it go, for now. But we will discuss about it later." Here he raised his voice and loudly proclaimed "let's celebrate then."

"I am afraid your grace we all will have to wait to celebrate, first I must make plans."

"Come your grace" Jon said as he motioned for the King and Lord to take their respective King sat at the head, Lord Tywin by his side and Jon snow on the other father sat along with Lord Tywin and Blackfish and Lord Royce sat along with Lord Jon.

It was then that Tywin Lannister asked,

"I have to ask Lord Commander,are you saying that you defeated the Old Wyk, Harlaw and Blacktyde with just ten war galleys and a force of ten thousand men?"

"No Lord Tywin" he said , and after a brief pause again said "ten thousand is too much for just three islands,a force of five thousand was sufficient enough."

"You fought on the three islands in just one month!"

"Well, we only had to really fight on Blacktyde, and the other islands were subdued easily after that, Glex saw to it." here he gestured towards the giant of a man standing behind him.

'so that's his name' willas though and couldn't help but ask out loud

"I have never heard of you Ser Glex"

"I am no knight young lord" glex replied

"Well that can be amended, afterall anyone who can subdue two islands should be knighted " his father said airily

"Off course not. I will not be knighted . that would be an insult to my prowess"

"Insult?" his father asked in a shrill tone.

"There is no knight in this realm that can match my powers , I am a titan trained by and under the service of lord commander jon snow, and knighthood is beneath any titan"

"TITAN?" ser brynded and it was jon snow who answered

"Some men I have trained personally, each and everyone of them can defeat any knight " jon snow said and willas raised an eyebrow at that , Jon snow might be better than ser Barristan and ser Jaimie , perhaps he could defeat the mountain too. Glex surely could. But to claim that everyone trained by him could achieve the same , that sounded dubious .

"Back to the plan. Harlaw and old Wyk surrendered, I took their ships, secured the coast, took over the castles on those islands and came here" he said

"That is not all that you did Lord Jon, you also destroyed all the castles of house Harlaw, burning the ten towers to grounds and killing all the male members" said Ser Barristan

"Well," Jon Snow said as a grim look passed over him "the Harlaws tried to hurt my sister, they had to answer for that."

"But ending the entire house, even the cadet branches, was a bit too much."Ser Barristan said

"No Ser Barristan, anyone who tries to harm my family will meet the same end, nothing less. It was a good thing that only wound Sansa received was a light bruise on her hand otherwise I would have burned down every inch of the iron islands."

Although Jon snow was responding to ser Barristan but Willas got the feeling that it was a warning to everyone present.

"And Ser Barristan, you served the mad King,fought for him despite all the atrocities committed by him. You of all people do not get to lecture me on morality."Jon Snow said with a hard edge to his voice. Willas got curious at hearing this because by all accounts Ser Barristan was the epitome of knightly honour. Jon Snow came close to Ser Barristan and said in a whisper which was heard by all of them.

"You watched as The Mad King burned people alive, innocent people. You stood guard when he raped his queen. That, my Respectable Ser Barristan, is when you broke your oath. The oath you swore before you became a Kingsguard, An Oath that take precedence above all else."

This stunned was new to him and apparently to everyone as the all looked at Ser Barristan and Ser Jamie for confirmation to this , Ser Jamie had a glazed look in his eyes and then Ser Barristan asked "how did you know that?"

"That is irrelevant. At least Ser Jamie had the guts to end the foul creature when he got the chance."

"Damn right, " King Robert muttered. Jon Snow again addressed the Lords and King

"Now, after subduing these three islands, I took whatever ships they had and ten war galleys that I had and brought them to at first light we sail for fair isles."

"What?" many exclaimed to which he replied calmly.

"Yes, we will join Lord Stannis and attack from The North of the strait while the Redwyne and other ships from reach will block them from the south."

"Lord Tyrell will take one war galley with him and three longships that will take his men aboard, about a thousand men in total. Lord Tywin and Lord Royce will take a war galley each along with three long-ships each. Lord Tully and King Robert will take the other three galleys and five longships carrying Riverland and Stormland all will join Lord Stannis's fleet at the north east edge of fair isles."

"What about you?" Willas asked and squirmed a bit when everyone looked at him at once.

"The small fleet leaves at the first light, I will leave tonight and will be with Lord Stannis." He said

"You still have four war galleys and seven longships remaining, why not use them too." Lord tywin asked.

"Oh we will, Lord Mallister and Ser Brynden will take the four war galleys and seven long-ships and sail for Orkmont with three thousand men from Riverland. I am putting Glex in charge." he said, looking at Ser Brynden, probably expecting opposition at not given the charge.

"Glex, you will secure Orkmont, minimize the casualties, try to subdue them without bloodshed if possible." Jon said and the huge man bowed in response.

"Without bloodshed!" exclaimed his father, Lord Tyrell. To which jon snow looked at him for a moment and then said

"Lord Tyrell, supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting. We must end this war as quickly as possible, there is no instance of a kingdom ever benefiting from prolonged warfare."

"In my experience , war cannot be won withought bloodshed" lord tyrell said. Everyone stilled. His father has challenged lord commander's decision . a man whose brilliance and powers were quickly becoming legendary . Jon snow looked at his father and gave a smirk and asked

"And what experience would that be lord tyrell?" he asked and willas had to agree jon snow had him cornered . It was true too. Off all the major lords present his father was the only one who lacked any real experience of fighting . luckily lord tarly came to his liege lord's defence.

"lord commander , I too agree with lord tyrell . blood is always spilt in conquests . or do you think I too lack experience "

Lord tarly's tone was respectful yet had an edge to his tone as if challenging him to argue.

"What I think is that , " jon snow began and after a short pause said "experience is simply the name we give our mistakes"

"I say we end this war as quickly as possible , otherwise the consequences could be dire" he said again

"Does something bothers you Lord Commander?" asked Ser Brynden . jon snow took a deep breath and then said

"In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity. While the entirety of the Westros' might is in the east, the pirates of Lys and Tyrosh have combined together and a fleet of some seventy ships will be ready to sail in two weeks. We must end this war by then."

"What?!" many exclaimed in surprise. The lords of Crownlands, Stormlands looked worried at the prospect of pirates attacking their lightly defended homes. While willas was wondering how jon snow knew that . it was as if he had spies , and not just in westros but in lys and tyrosh as well.

"Yes, we must send a word to the Crownlands and Stormlands to be on high alert."

"If a pirate fleet is headed for our lands, we must return and protect our people." Lord Dandorian said.

"Fret not my Lord; I have already taken steps to that end." Jon snow said.

"That gives me some relief Lord Commander" the lightening Lord said with genuine relief in his voice

"So Any doubts?" he asked finally.

"Yes"LordTywin asked in a clipped tone.

"What of my son?" he asked which surprised Willas

'What about Ser Jaime?' he thought.

"Which is why I am leaving tonight. Your son is held captive by Victarion Greyjoy at fair castle. He keeps him around always, but fret not your son will be safe by the time you reach the royal fleet."

Tywin Lannister nodded to this.

"Very well, prepare your men my Lords, for the battle is upon us now."

"Now,let's check out the sword everyone is talking about, shall we?" he said casually , giving a smile.

Jon then looked around and then walked past everyone towards the Wierwood tree, now hundreds of people,Lords, knights and smallfolk and soldiers were gathered to watch the display. With every step taken by him the temperature dropped drastically, so much that Willas was shivering and so was everyone , Jon Snow stopped near the tree and bowed slightly to it he then looked at the sword.

Willas watched in anticipation.

"Do you think he can pull it out?" asked his father to which the King rounded on him and said

"Only he can pull it out, I am sure of it, want to bet on it Tyrell?"

"Well, " his father started speaking, but Willas stopped him

"No,father don't!"

The King laughed at that and Willas had a reason to stop his father, everything pointed to one thing that only a first men would be able to pull it out and presently Jon Snow was; the greatest warrior amongst all the first men's families. But that was not the only reason why Willas too thought that Jon Snow would be able to wield the sword, no it was the sheer confidence with which he had approached the tree and the familiarity with which he had looked at the sword.

The King followed Jon Snow and stood a few meters away from him. Other Lords too followed suite, despite the cold, howling wind. It was as if winter had come.

The sword was emitting a glow.

'Sword of the gods indeed' Willas thought.

Jon puts his hands on the hilt of the sword and the effect was immediate. The sky became dark and low with ominous black clouds and the wind picked up, howling, crying, warning, baying like a wolf into the night. The first crack of lightening went the air and instantaneously the rolling boom of the thunder reverberated overhead.

Jon Snow looked towards the sky and smiled as if he knew what was happening and eyes shone and then rain fell, slowly at first splattering the grounds haphazardly, and then suddenly it fell as if from buckets, cascading like a waterfall from the heavens. It pounded on the roof as if it were demanding entrance. But not even a single drop had landed in the twenty feet diameter around the sword.

The lightning flashed again, like a serpent of brilliant light sent to bite the earth. Then the sky shook with the cry of the thunder. The far off fragrance of water draws his nose up to sniff the sky; longing for the refreshing it promises. A streaks of hot silver split the sky.

And without any effort, Jon Snow did what thousands of men have been trying to do for the last few months , He pulled the sword out of the tree and held it up for all to see , he raised his sword a bit higher and looked towards the sky again in expectation and Willas to look up and what he saw left him too stunned to even breathe.

There in the sky, lightening shone and an outline of a feminine face was visible, only for a split second and then it was gone as the boom rolled across the sky and a bolt of thunder hit the ground where the all were standing and Willas closed in eyes in dread.

But when he opened it, he was surprised to find himself and everyone else around him were unharmed and the way people were looking around, so was everyone , he then got another surprise when he looked at Jon the sword had apparently caught the bolt of lightning and now lightening crackled across the sword , Jon Snow then moved the sword in a pattern that was unknown to him and the rain stopped.

'He stopped it' Willas realized.

The sword then returned to its normal state but the King was still looking at the sky with wonder and Willas couldn't fault him for that , Jon Snow then looked at the King and nodded then smiled widely.

"My Lords, knights and soldiers, get ready, for we sail to battle tomorrow ,to beat the Ironborns on their own turf!" he said as the soldiers and knights and even many Lords cheered and raised their swords in agreement.

Saying this Jon Snow got up and he along with the King went towards Banefort.

It was a magnificent sight to behold. Hundreds of long ships all anchored off shore, waiting for the coming battle. Victarion Greyjoy stood on a balcony in Fair castle, home to House Farman who had abandoned their holdings the moment the Iron Fleet had been spotted. A skeleton crew was left to main the gates and they quickly surrendered. Fair Isle was no stranger to Ironborn raids, but they had always relied on the Kings of the Rock to protect them in the past. With the Lannister Fleet a memory, no one could protect them. Victarion wasted no time in establishing Fair castle as a base with only a minimal staff as he needed most of his men ready at their ships should Stannis Baratheon and the Royal Fleet arrive. They had been sighted moving past the Shield Isles and now a confrontation was all but inevitable.

But the good news was that Lord Redwyne was not sailing up the Sunset Sea along with the royal fleets. It would seem he did value his heir's life.

"I must say my Lord, your brother's plan worked perfectly." his first mate said.

"Indeed"Victorian said.

Victarion had to commend Euron for this was his idea to catch the Westerlands and reach unaware and take hostages so that the two will not engage them. They had intended to take Paxter Redwyne's heir and Tywin Lannister's heir, the famous imp of Casterly rock but fortune had smiled upon them when Euron was also able to get his hands on the princess, daughter of Robert Baratheon, who was with the imp in Casterly Rock at that time.

But the royal fleet was approaching which meant Victarion needed to keep his hostage close at all times. The dwarf adjusted to his captivity well enough. He didn't complain or wail as though he probably knew that would have done him little good. He ate with Victarion and his closest companions every meal like any highborn hostage, slept in a bedroom most of Victarion's own men would kill to have, and was attended by servants who saw to his every need. Yet for all his comfort, if the royal fleet should ever engage any Ironborn ship, Victarion would end his life with a swing of his axe.

Then the next of Euron's plan was a success too when Rodrick Harlaw Jr. was able to take Riverrun and keep the Tullys hostage, but again the drowned gods had favored them when they had discovered Sansa Stark there and had kept her a hostage and this way they had ensured that The north, westerlands and the crownland won't attack the ironborn. Also the Royal fleet and Redwyne fleet will not engage the ironborn because of the same reasons.

"But all the planning was foiled by Stark's bastard"

Victarion couldn't help but feel a bit of trepidation at the mention of the said name. he had heard how he was able to defeat Aeron's fleet, despite being outnumbered five to one. The boy was smart, lulling Aeron into believing that the coast was vulnerable and then attacking him, but still, he should have been able to handle the boy, but the soldiers who were able to get away had all said the same thing.

'The boy was beyond powerful, he cut down any and all who came in his way.'

'The boy fought like a demon!'

'He is the incarnation of a war god!'

'He was a god during the fight.'

The last one was preposterous,Victarion knew but still he had to give credit where it was due. The boy was simply genius and that was not the end of his bastard had then foiled his nephews attack at Seagard and had killed him and the Drumm heir,taking the other Drumm hostage and that was not all , he had then snuck into Riverrun and killing every single one of the two hundred ironborn who were sent under Rodrick harlaw , the fate of the Harlaw heir was still unknown.

'Last we heard he was appointed as the Lord Commander of the entire royal force by Robert Baratheon"Rodrick the reader Harlaw said.

"Don't worry, he will get his due", Victarion said, trying to sound bold but inside he was just as anxious of facing the boy. His hand absent mindedly went to the horn hanging on his waist. It was made up of black wood with gold engravings on it. His last gambit if all else were to fail.

Just then an ironborn soldier entered the room wearing the sigil of house Drumm and handed him a letter saying, "the raven just came my Lord, I came as soon as I could."

Victarion took the letter from the soldier , his eyes seemed a bit glazed but Victarion paid him no heed and read the letter and he could feel sweat on his forehead. He lost his composer, noticing which his first mate asked "What is it my Lord?What happened?"

"It's from the great Wyk. Its bad news, very bad."

"What happened?" he asked and Victarion ripped the parchment in anger and said, "All our planning, all our efforts were in vain!"

"What happened, my Lord?Please tell us."

"Jon fucking Snow happened! Why the fucking bastard could not stay in that frozen north."Victarion yelled out in frustration.

After taking a few breaths turned towards his men and said "Jon Snow was able to rescue Paxter Redwyne's heir and princess Myrcella from the blacktyde and then he subdued old Wyk, he then went to the ten towers and burned it to the ground, the northern forces are now in control of old Wyk,Harlaw and euron's surprise attack at Bear Island was spoiled too, he was intercepted captured and he is now a prisoner along with Aeron."

They were all stunned. This was a massive blow to their campaign, with three of the iron island subdued, the only thing remaining between the royal forces and Pyke was the iron fleet.

"But how?" one asked, "How could he have done this?"

Even Victarion was surprised by this, but he knew how Jon Snow could have achieved all that.

"He most probably took the ships under Aeron's command and sailed to old Wyk, considering that the only son of the Drumm is his hostage, the Drumm must have surrendered. He most probably conquered the Blacktyde by force, the island is lightly populated and does not have many strongholds, but what surprises me is could he have conquered Harlaw with so few men, how could he have burnt the ten towers the most formidable Ironisland castle?"

Saying this he looked at Lord Harlaw. The man was the last remaining Harlaw. His house was gone. Burned by Jon Snow.

"Not only that he was able to rescue The Princess and Redwyne boy, and now has both of your brothers as hostages." his first mate said.

"What do we do now?"

"It would seem that the bastard Jon Snow is rescuing the hostages, and the only one still in captive is the should insure that he is not able to rescue the imp too" Rodrick Harlaw said, still in shock.

"Yes"Victarion said as he turned to look down in the courtyard. He dismissed the boy and began to leave the room. At the moment, the imp was in the courtyard with a goblet in his hand as he chatted with a couple of soldiers who were laughing at him.

Victarion stormed down to the courtyard, one of the ironborn soldier was just starting to sing a song , he was about to stop him and deal with the imp but for some reason he didn't, the sailor wearing house Drumm's sigil was playing some kind of mandola, and he was very good too.

 _My heart is pierced by Cupid;  
I disdain all glittering gold.  
There is nothing can console me  
But my jolly sailor bold._

 _Come all ye pretty fair maids  
Whoever ye may be  
Who love a jolly sailor bold  
That plows the raging sea..._

 _My heart is pierced by Cupid;  
I disdain all glittering gold.  
There is nothing can console me  
But my jolly sailor bold._

The boy was exceptionally handsome, was tall and of strong built, his muscles could be seen bulging even from under his clothes-. Despite being dirty, the boy had a charisma around him.

"Why did you stop?" Victarion asked , so enthralled he was by the boy's voice that he wanted him to finish the song "go on, finish the song" Victarion asked. The boy bowed and again sat atop a stone and held a type of mandola in one hand and started singing.

 _Upon one summer's morning, I carelessly did stray,  
Down by the Walls of Wapping, where I met a sailor gay,  
Conversing with a bouncing lass, who seem'd to be in pain,  
Saying, Harry, when you go, I fear you will ne'er return again._

 _His hair it does in ringlets hang, his eyes as black as sloes,  
May happiness attend him wherever he goes,  
From castle black, down to dorne, I will wander, weep and moan,  
All for my jolly sailor bold, until he does return._

 _My father is a merchant—the truth I now will tell,  
And in great London City in opulence doth dwell,  
His fortune doth exceed 300,000 in gold,  
And he frowns upon his daughter, 'cause she loves a sailor bold._

 _A fig for his riches, his merchandize, and gold,  
True love is grafted in my heart; give me my sailor bold:  
Should he return in poverty, from o'er the ocean far,  
To my tender bosom, I'll fondly press my jolly tar._

 _Come all you pretty fair maids, whoever you may be  
Who love a jolly sailor bold that ploughs the raging sea,  
While up aloft, in storm or gale, from me his absence mourn,  
And firmly pray, arrive the day, he home will safe return._

 _My name it is Maria, a merchant's daughter fair,  
And I have left my parents and three thousand dragons a year,  
My heart is pierced by Cupid, I disdain all glittering gold,  
There is nothing can console me but my jolly sailor bold._

 _Come all ye pretty fair maids  
Whoever ye may be  
Who love a jolly sailor bold  
That plows the raging sea..._

While he was singing the last para, he was joined by number of other men and even Victarion couldn't help but sing along the next para

 _My heart is pierced by Cupid;  
I disdain all glittering gold.  
There is nothing can console me  
But my jolly sailor bold._

The boy then got up and bowed with a certain flare as the men all cheered and clapped. Victarion then stepped forward and everybody stopped.

"You sing well boy"

"Thank you milord" he said

"I have never heard that song before" victarion asked.

"it's new my lord , one of my own"the boy said

"What's your name boy?"

"Neville, milord." he said as his brown eyes shone with mischief and he could have sworn his eyes flashed a shade of violet for a moment but he attributed it the trick of light.

Victarion nodded and He then approached the imp, who had also been singing along with everyone but now seemed to be on guard given Victarion's angry expression . the ironborn lord approached him and picked him up by his collar easily and said "If you even think of escaping, I will cut your cock, you understand me imp."

Tyrion Lannister nodded and Victarion then threw him away on the ground. He got up and said "And here I thought we were getting along just fine."

"Yes we were, but due to the Lord Commander's recent actions, your privileges have been revoked." Victarion said and then said to a soldier "take Lord Lannister to the dungeons and let him rot there till the end of the war, have a dozen men guard him at all times."Victarion said and then rounded up on the singer "and you Neville, you will oversee his imprisonment."Victarion said as two soldiers grabbed him up and took him away and the singer bowed in understanding.

Victarion knew that the imp was the only bargaining chip he had right now,so worried he was about the upcoming battle that he failed to notice or couldn't see the said boy's eyes turning violet once more as he gave a sly smile as he moved past him.

Victarion lay in Lord Farman's bed, axe in hand as his eyes refused to close. He knew he needed to get some sleep but he just had this feeling a battle was coming. Maybe he was getting irritated from waiting for the enemy to come to him like the rest of his men. All of the Iron Fleet was itchy for a fight, even for one they might not win. The Ironborn were excellent killers and born seamen, but they were lacking when it came to a disciplined coordinated army. They were strong as they needed to be to live in iron islands and Victarion wasn't certain they would be when Stannis attacked.

A knock at his door disturbed his sleep. "What is it?!" shouted Victarion, furious at being roused at such an hour. The sun would rise in about an hour.

"Captain. Urgent message from Far Point" responded his guard. Far Point was a small fishing village on the southern tip of the island and would be the first watch post that would warn of an incoming attack from the incoming Royal Fleet. Victarion got to his feet and opened the door to see old man Maester Balwin holding a small parchment in his hands. Probably a message via raven. To report this at such an hour only proved that it was important.

"What is it?" demanded Victarion.

"My Lord. Far Point reports a massive fleet has been spotted sailing under cover of darkness. They'll be here by morning," reported Balwin.

"Send word to all the captains. Prepare their ships and crew immediately. I want every available man who can hold a weapon on a ship and ready to fight," ordered Victarion as the maester nodded, but Victarion stopped him from leaving and then asked him again about the status of the imp. At least here he got good news that he has not been rescued.

The sun was starting to rise in the distance as Victorian stood on the Iron Victory dressed in armour, axe and shield in hand. It was strange how relieved he was to finally have a battle. It might not be one he would win, but it was one he couldn't retreat from and he would either be victorious or die trying. The rest of his men seemed to feel the same. Their spirits were rejuvenated at the prospect of the coming battle. Iron Born were meant to fight and conquer, not sit around too scared to fight the next battle. Most of the Iron Fleet was being prepared to sail and only iron victory,Victarion's longship was in the open sea along with another, the only war galley in the iron fleet, formerly belonging to the Lannisters .He looked at the massive war had sent three dozen men to prepare it for sailing.

"Captain!" Ragnar Pyke came running up to Victarion in a panic, holding a letter from a recently arrived raven, "Tyrion Lannister is gone. Someone, somehow snuck into the castle and stole the imp before disappearing into the night." he explained.

Victarion gripped his axe so tightly he swore he almost snapped the handle in half. "Tell those incompetent bastards on the mainland to send out every men they have and search every inch of that island," he said in a calm yet menacing tone.

"Look there, my Lord." his first mate said pointing towards the war took the myrish glass from him and look at boats were been paddled by his men towards the shore, the leader was pointing towards the war looked slightly above and at the only war galley in their fleet -formerly belonging to Kevan Lannister - and his jaw dropped.

There on the war galley was the same soldier who was singing last night, Neville;the one commanded to guard the imp.

'What is he doing here? Why isn't he in the cells, guarding the imp?' Victarion asked himself but soon the answer presented itself for standing beside him was the imp, they were trying to raise the sails of the massive war galley.

"Rash boy, very rash" he whispered

"He is beyond doubt the worst sailor I have ever seen" Victarion said and the told his first men to set sail towards the war galley, and soon the longship was making its way towards the ship. And within no time they were side by side the war galley. It dwarfed the longship but soon his men threw hooks at the war galley and got on board,Victarion too followed suite.

"Search every cabin, every hold, down to the bilges." Victarion said and the soldiers followed his orders and dispersed, but after sometime he looked back and saw the iron victory moving away from the war galley and he knew what was happening as he shouted an order.

"Back to the iron victory, now"

They tried, but it was too late, the iron victory was already pass the war galley, some ironborns tried to swing down on iron victory but they only went down in the sea. Victarion looks at the man sailing the iron victory as the man he now knew wasn't Neville shouted "Thank you,Lord Captain for giving us your ship, we would have had a hard time to do by ourselves."

This caused Victarion to bristle, but he composed himself and said "Set top sail and clear up this mess."

His first mate said "With the wind at quarter astern, we won't catch them."

"We don't need to catch them, just get them in the range of the scorpion bolt." Victarion said, pointing towards the scorpion Ballista at the prow of the ship

"Hands, come about, load the scorpion." he shouted to the men and then he turned to Victarion as he said,

"We will shoot at our own ship, captain?"

"I'd rather see her at the bottom of the ocean than in the hands of a Greenlander" Victarion said just as a sailor came towards them and said "Captain,he has disabled the rudder chain. The sail and the ropes are all oily and sticky and they can slip quite easily."

"That's got to be the best sailor I have ever seen." Rodrick the reader muttered

"So it would seem" Victarion said angrily as he screamed,"Damn you Jon Snow!"

Apparently this got Jon's attention as he looked back from his ship and Victarion could easily see him aiming with his bow at the ship with a fire arrow. Then it hit him.

"The ropes, they are sticky,but due to what?"

Immediately he inspected the nearby rope, it was smelled the rope and muttered

"Wine!"

He looked around and saw a lot of barrels on the opened one and found it filled with towards the scorpion bolt where an extra sail was covering a lot of barrels

"Are there any barrels in the cabins?"

"The cabins are full of them."

Victarion looked at iron victory with wide eyes, fear in his voice as he yelled"abandon ship"and he jumped off the ship as a fire arrow hit the sails and with one huge blast the entire war galley was set ABLAZE.

Tyrion Lannister was thrown in the cells roughly, made in the dungeons of the Faircastle. He was at loos as to why his living arrangements took a drastic change , he and his niece were captured, his custody was given to Victarion Greyjoy and he was still unaware where his niece was taken to.

"I hope she is all right." he muttered.

"What was that?" a guard asked.

"Do you know what made your Captain throw me into a cell?"

"Aye, the man responsible for your current state is that bastard Jon Snow." he said.

Now this surprised Tyrion, he had off course heard the rumour about the sad bastard from some ironborn what Tyrion had gathered some of the ironborns were very afraid of the bastard of Winterfell.

"You mean Jon the Impaler?" Tyrion asked with a smirk

"Don't you dare say his name" the other soldier said in fear, looking around fanatically as if expecting the said man to appear out of thin air.

"Afraid of even his name?" the first one asked.

"You were not there, I was, I saw him fighting, he was as fast as the wind, as strong as a giant, his bronze sword cut through our ranks as if we were dummies, He alone killed a thousand men in the battles of cape Kraken alone."

"Don't be a craven!"

"No, he is right, I was present at the battle of Seagard, we were winning, we were about to take Seagard. We outnumbered the men of Seagard and northern men by at least three to one, but then he came, it was as if the war God himself had entered the battlefield. They say he shot three arrows at once with lethal accuracy, killing three men at once, they say he killed five dozen men in no time with his arrows and then he took out that Valyrian steel sword, black as nightmare, in one hand and in the other hand his bronze sword that is said to glow in the night. He cut a bloody path through the lines to reach prince Rodrick and the Drumm boys, some of the best swords of the island, but he toyed with the three of them as if they were little boys, and killed the two of them and cut the younger Drumm's hand while cutting his iron shield in one swipe."

"And the less said about Riverrun the better, we all know what happened there."

This was new to Tyrion, he didn't know what exactly had happened at Riverrun so he asked the soldiers"what happened there?"

"You don't know?" he asked, to which Tyrion shook his head in negative.

"Rodrick Harlaw was able to take Riverrun by surprise and captured it with a token force of two hundred men, he had the Tully's, as well as Stark girl as hostage, but in the dead of the night, Jon Snow-"

"Shh! don't say his name idiot."

"The Impaler snuck into Riverrun and killed every single ironborn and liberated the castle. I have heard rumours that he swore a vow in front of the wierwood tree to destroy the house Harlaw."

Tyrion absorbed all this, but just then the man spoke again

"And he defeated your brother imp."

"What?" Tyrion asked in shock, his brother, regarded as the best sword in Westeros, defeated? 'No' Tyrion thought, that was not possible.

"Aye, they say when the Impaler refused to be knighted by the King,he insulted Arthur Dayne, and so Jamie Lannister challenged him to a duel, and the word is that he was disarmed twice before he was punched in the face by him"he said and then they all laughed.

"Well, I don't put much stock in rumors"Tyrion said.

"They are no rumors" the other guard said as a new guard entered the cells

"What do you mean?" Tyrion asked.

"My brother was in the room with Captain Victarion when the raven came, Jon Sn-"

"Shh! What is wrong with you? Don't say his name!"

"So what should I call him, what the other soldiers are? The Lord of war, The master of death, Son of the Storm Goddess, The Ghost, The White Wolf, The Impaler, The Demon of The North, The Invincible. What should I call him?"

"Just don't call him by his name, he has ears everywhere, he knows everything."

"Wait a second, The Master of Death, The Invincible." Tyrion said with a scoff

"Indeed imp, he cannot be killed, he cannot be defeated, he fought in two dozen battles and has emerged without a scratch on him, he leaves no survivors, the mounted head of the ironborn along the coast of Cape Krakenis proof of it."

"No survivors? Then where do the stories come from I wonder" Tyrion asked with a sly smile .

"Anyway, " he continued "The word is that the blacktyde has been conquered by the Northern forces, the Old Wyk subdued, and the Ten towers burnt down and Harlaw conquered by the northern forces."

"By the Drowned God" the other guard whispered

"How are we supposed to win a war against a warrior and Commander like that?"

"Well, I don't think the war will last for long now." The one soldier who had been quiet all the while, who had been tasked by victarion greyjoy to keep an eye on him, said.

"Well, we still have the entire fleet and the imp as a hostage." Another soldier said

"Not for long." he said as he winked at Tyrion

"What do you mean by that?" he asked.

"Well… I intend to destroy the iron fleet today itself", he said. This caused everyone to look at him in confusion as he got up and unsheathe his sword which was made of bronze and was glowing slightly . he watched the man wide eyed, he looked at his sword and he knew who the man was, and apparently so did the ironborn as they all got up and tried to surround him and stood around him in an arch, with his back towards Tyrion.

But just then he crouched a bit low and in one long horizontal sweep at the torso level, cut all the five ironborn at their five soldiers went down, started shaking violently as blood flowed in and then approached the two remaining ironborn who looked at him in fear . He put his sword inside his sheath as he commanded them

"open the cell."

And without any delay the soldier opened his cell and Tyrion walked out. His savior then rounded up on the two remaining ironborn who were shaking and one had even pissed himself, he then grabbed them by their heads and said in a low voice "You tell them all what happened here, you tell them winter came for the ironborns."

And the next moment he banged their heads together and they both slumped down, unconscious, he then turned towards Tyrion and said with a smirk "well Lord Tyrion, you are a hard man to find."

"Well now that you have found me, how do you plan on leaving this island, it's swarming with ironborn soldiers."

"Oh don't worry about that, I always have a plan, just follow me." he said as he walked out of the cells,Tyrion followed him. As they came out of the cell,Tyrion saw another dozen dead ironborn soldiers. He kept on following him as he saw dead bodies of ironborn soldiers littering the corridors.

"You certainly are good at all this."

"At what?" Jon asked.

"All this killing and rescue missions, the way you killed those five men in one strike, I have never seen anything like that before, and my brother is the best swordsman in Westeros."

"hhm sure" Jon said" he is indeed a great sword."

"Really?" Tyrion asked

"Yes Lord Tyrion, I may have defeated him easily, but your brother is indeed a great swordsman, very skilled, a natural talent."

"But not as good as you?" Tyrion asked.

"No one's as good as me" Jon said as he winked at him.

"What about my niece?" Tyrion asked as they stood in the shadows of the gate of Faircastle leading to the port.

"She is well. I got her from Old Wyk and she is on her way to Casterly rock from Banefort right now with your brother."Jon said as he quickly walked towards the port,Tyrion followed suite but with all the soldiers running, he was certain they would be caught. But to his surprise no one paid them any heed and soon they were at a deserted part of the coast with only one boat there.

He looked towards the west where the iron fleet was getting ready to set sail

"How will we escape?" Tyrion asked and then Jon looked at a ship in the easily recognized the massive galley. It was his Uncle Kevan's ship.

"Are we are going to steal a ship? That ship?"

"Commandeer"Jon said absent mindedly as he glanced at the iron fleet and then pointed at the galley.

"We are going to commandeer that ship, nautical terms. How good is your grip, will you be able to climb a rope."

"I can manage." Tyrion said.

"Well good." Jon said as he pushed the boat into the sea and started rowing towards the ship , he noticed the magnificent bow in the boat and a quiver full of arrows, some arrows seemed to be unique in design.

"That is one amazing bow."

"Thanks."

"How were you able to assimilate in their ranks? Why didn't anyone paid us any attention when we were escaping?"

"I have my ways." Jon said as he rowed. Tyrion noticed how effortlessly Jon was able to row the boat, giving credence to the rumours about his strength.

"Is it true what they all were saying in there, about you?" Tyrion asked, to which Jon looked at him and said "The facts, yes. The rumors and monikers, I don't know." Here he gave a mysterious smile and for the first time Tyrion noticed a glow in his violet eyes that he has never seen before , they radiated power and confidence, as if the boy was certain that no obstacle is big enough for him. And soon they reached the massive war galley and they climbed the ropes around its hull and got onto its deck and then Tyrion noticed the two dozen men working on the ship.

"There are soldiers on this ship."

"I know, I was counting on it" Jon said as he confidently took out his bow and approached the group of soldiers and said in a funny tone, "Everyone stay calm, we are taking over the ship."

"Aye Avast" Tyrion said enjoying the feel of the rush of the endeavour.

The men all laughed at them, Jon looks down at Tyrion with uncertainty and now Tyrion was a bit scared. Then , one of them who seemed to be a captain said

"This ship cannot be crewed by two men." Here he looked at Tyrion and said

"well one and a half, you will never make it out of the bay."

"Mate…" Jon said and now Tyrion realized how serious his tone was "I am Lord Commander Jon Snow."

As this the ironborns gulped and took a step back, but the captain went for his sword, but just then Jon took out his bronze sword, which glowed even in daylight and the captain stopped midway and then held his arms up in surrender.

"I will spare your life, get on the boats and leave."

And that is what they all did and then Tyrion again looked at the sword and said

"A magnificent sword"

"Oh yes, I am sure you will hear about it more when you get back to the civil world, but right now we have work to do."

"But how will we escape? The man was right, this war galley cannot be crewed by two men."

"Oh, don'tworry, just help me with sail will you."

Tyrion watched as Jon Snow opened one of the many barrels on the deck and spilled its content at the sails and ropes.

'Wine' Tyrion realized. He then went down, in the cabins and returned after a few moments with a large piece of cloth and opened all the barrels and dipped the cloth in wine and covered around a dozen opened barrel with it.

"Get ready, here they come," he said as Tyrion saw a longship approaching towards the war galley , they hid near the prowl and when all the Ironborns had boarded the ship and the longship was empty,Jon took Tyrion in one hand and gripped the rope with another and swung down on the long ship and immediately unfurled the sails. The already in motion ship started moving towards the bay and by then the ironborns tried to get back on the longship, but it was too late , the ship was already sailing away from the war galley into the bay.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha" Tyrion laughed, he was really relieved as he looked at Jon Snow, who was at the starting of the longship and said "I am not sure if this is madness or sheer brilliance!"

"It's remarkable how often those two traits coincide." He said as he gave a smile but just then they heard it.

"Damn you Jon Snow!"

They both looked back at the war galley, it was Victarion Greyjoy.

"He sounds angry" Tyrion said.

"Oh boy, I forgot." he said as he jammed the wheel and took out his bow and notched a flaming arrow. Jon fired the arrow and within a blink of an eye it hit the sail of the ship setting it on fire.

"Kaboom" Jon whispered and just then the whole ship was blasted apart by an explosion.

"That was brilliant"

"I know"

"But there is one problem still,"

"Which is?"

"Their entire fleet is ready to sail and Greyjoy will give a chase and will soon catch us."

"That is the plan my Lord" Jon said giving Tyrion a wink and a smile that scared the seven hells out of him.

"My Lord" the knight asked

"Yes Ser Davos?" the always grim looking Stannis Baratheon asked.

"What are we to do my Lord?"

"For the Royal Army to land safely on the Iron Isles, the Royal Navy needed to clear out a path for them."Stannis replied.

"Without the Redwyne fleet?" he asked

"Yes, the traitors won't move their fleet, but they will get their due when the war is over." Stannis replied.

"I can't really fault him for his actions my Lord, if it was my son who was a hostage neither would I, we should attack the…" The Onion Knight was cut short as Stannis spoke up

"That is no excuse to not abide by his duties."

"But why are we here my Lord?"

"Why sail all the way around the west of the fair islands to gain entrance into the straits from north, why not attack from south."

"I am just following orders Ser Davos." Stannis said.

"The King's?" he asked

"No," Stannis replied bristled and then said again "The Lord Commander has ordered to arrange my fleet here, so I have done."

"Lord Commander? Jon Snow?"

"Yes, Lord Eddard Stark's bastard." Stannis replied.

"Does the fact that bastard was given command of the royal force not sit well with you, my Lord?"

"No,Ser Davos, you of all people should know that I don't believe that someone of less than noble birth could be great. Yes, maybe the boy is as good a warrior as the rumours says, but I don't know what my brother was thinking, naming a boy of 12 namesday as the Lord Commander of the entire royal force, that to over so many capable candidates. Lord Eddard Stark, myself, Lord Tarly, Ser Barristan, even Lord Tywin Lannister and the Kingslayer would have been a better option."Stannis said

"Maybe he will surprise us my Lord?"

"Maybe yes, say what you must about my brother, when it comes to war, he makes the best decision following his guts."

"But what are we waiting for?"

"We don't know, I was commanded to wait here for a single Ironland longship and to let it past our line, and then we are to move south."

"My Lord" a sailor came running as he pointed toward south and Stannis took out his myrish glass and looked at the direction. He spotted a ship, an ironborn longship bearing the Kraken sail coming their way.

"Is it wise to let an enemy ship inside our lines my Lord" Ser Davos asked

"Tell the men to be ready to fire upon the ship." Stannis replied

And not long after that the ship came close to the royal navy's first could easily see one man and a child on the man was waving a white flag.

"Let it come, don't attack . "Stannis said after a while and within no time the long ship was side by side the fury and just as Stannis was about to approach the wall a figure of a child was tossed onto the dock of The Fury.

"Oh bloody bastard!" the child said as he stood up and Stannis realized that it wasn't a child but a dwarf, the most famous dwarf of before he could say anything a figure jumped into the deck of the ship, but what surprised Stannis that the man was not holding onto any rope and the jump was easily four meters high.

The man, no boy was taller than Stannis, he was broad chested, he was extremely muscled, Stannis has never seen anyone with such defined muscles ever, not even the mountain. He wore an all-black armor ,the kind of which Stannis had never ever seen. He could see a bit of bronze on the armor too. His cape was also black, seemingly made of high quality . two swords were at his sides and he was carrying a bow and a quiver on his back.

Stannis knew who this man was and as he looked at the dwarf, he realized that he was able to rescue the imp from Ironborns.

'Maybe there is some truth to the rumors.'Stannis thought as the man approached him confidently despite all the weapons trained at him and said,

"Lord Stannis, well met."

"Lord Commander Snow" Stannis said as they both shook hands.

"The royal fleet is yours to command" Stannis said, hearing which the soldiers lowered their weapons and Jon Snow nodded at him.

"Give the signal, sail towards south" Jon Snow said to Ser Davos who repeated the orders and signalled the other ships.

Jon Snow,Stannis, the Imp and Ser Davos all walked towards the wheel as the royal fleet started sailing south, after a while Ser Davos asked "But to what end my Lord? The iron fleet is supposed to be at fair castle, a long distance from here, about half a day's sail."

"To that…" Jon Snow said as he pointed his finger towards all looked where he was pointing and Stannis squinted his eyes and soon it became evident to them. A fleet was approaching them, and after some time it became very clear; the iron fleet was coming towards them in the lines of three with full haste.

"How?" Stannis asked.

"An expert battle commander moves the enemy,but is not moved by him." Jon said and From his position, Stannis Baratheon could see the Ironborn longboats sailing into view he realized something

"The Ironborn out number us by four to one at least, and their ships are notably faster." Stannis said.

"Aye there speed is what gives them, the ability to pillage the coast and return to sea before any forces could respond , but you are wrong on one account; we are outnumbered by two to one." Jon Snow said.

" _Not that their speed will matter here. Soon there will be nowhere to run." Jon Snow said_

 _"What does that mean?" Stannisasked, to which Jon just gave a mysterious smirk and then said "you will see."_

Just then one of the sailors on the ship signaled the obvious "M'Lord, longboats spotted!"

Jon wasted no time, giving instructions with both haste and precision. His voice extremely loud despite being spoken calmly "Catapults, release opening volley at the left flank. Scorpions and archers, hold fire until my command!"

Shouting excitedly, the catapult operators opened fire.

"Send 'em to the depths!"

"Open fire!"

Large boulders jolted through the air in lumbering flight, hurdling towards the longboats in the left flank. Only two boulders hit their mark, ripping apart and sinking the longboats. However, this did cause the rest of the Iron Fleet to row at double time and to push themselves further into the strait.

 _"Just a little bit closer..." Jon muttered._

As the ships loomed closer, the Golden Krakens that emblazoned their sails were clear.

Finally, Jon gave the signal.

"Scorpions, fire!"

With that, the scorpions on his ship fired at the Ironborn Longboats. The sharp scorpion bolts slammed into the longboats in all directions. Those hit in the hull began to flood with water and sink, those hit in the deck cracked and burst and in one case even flipped forward, and those longboats hit in the masts saw their sails torn through and their ship all but stranded in the water.

As a result of this sudden burst, the seas were full of bloodied corpses and reavers thrashing against the water in a vain attempt to stave off their own mortality.

 _But that is when Stannis spotted it._

 _"They are getting away, their last line has turned starboard. The longships are able to turn starboard in two ships length. They will escape and we won't be able to catch them." He told Jon Snow_

 _"I was counting on it, don't worry they won't escape." He replied_

 _"How?"Stannis shouted in frustration to which Jon just looked at him and said_

 _"Look closely."_

They did and they saw nothing but then Ser Davos exclaimed

"By the gods, how?" he said to which Jon just smirked

"In the last day I have learned Ser Davos , is that when it comes to Jon Snow, he always has a plan."Tyrion said.

"What is it?" Stannis asked in frustration.

"Look closely my Lord, the Redwyne fleet, behind the iron fleet." Ser Davos said and Stannis looked closely again and this time he saw it, behind the iron fleet was the combined might of The Arbor, Oldtown, Highgarden and any coastal castle along the way that had a ship under its control, coming around tightening the noose around the Ironborn. The last line of Iron fleet that had turned back was now running straight towards the Reach fleet.

 _"Now they're trapped." Jon Snow said_

Jon then gave Ser Davos instructions "Cogs, Hulks, and boats; have their bowmen maintain fire upon the longships. Tell everyone else, ram them double time!"

With that, two war galley wedges moved towards the cluster of panicked longboats from each end of the strait. Just then Stannis was drawn to the small fleet that had joined his own and was surprised to see the Kingsgaurd and his brother on one of them.

The salt sea was carried by the wind in Stannis's face the whole time, yet throughout the battle he maintained a calm and calculating stance. The Ironborn ships got closer and closer, until eventually the ram of the _Fury_ smashed through a longboat with enough force to rip in in half in an explosion of splinters.

The Ironborn were thrown from the deck. They fell face first into the water and sunk like a stone.

However, there were still many longboats left. One such longboat took this opportunity to row up alongside the Fury, and several axe wielding brutes rushed aboard.

Drawing their swords, Stannis and the knights surrounding him clashed against their foes. Steel smashing against steel as axes and swords became reddened.

Stannis was not by nature a warrior; while he has no problem fighting or killing, his strategist's mind was what Stannis really brought to the battlefield. But just then a shadow passed above him and a figure landed ahead of him.

'Jon Snow' Stannis realized and as he took out his swords, one black valyrian steel sword and the other illuminated bronze sword, Stannis couldn't help but agree with some of the rumors about him.

'He does look like a war god.'

Jon turned and lifted his sword to block the axe swing of an axe wielding Ironborn. With a swift motion, he drove his sword through the man's leather armor and into his soft belly.

Pulling his sword out, he turned around and swung at the throat of another raider. The sword cut deep, almost decapitating the head and causing the assaulter to mis-aim his throwing axe. Then quickly, very quickly he moved on to the next ironmen and in one swing cut his head off.

By the time the first ironborns dead body hit the floor, Jon Snow had killed three more men.

'He is extremely fast, and very agile as if the very air was giving him a push.' Stannis though as Jon Snow killed an Ironborn in an eye blink each. Just then another longship rowed up alongside fury and a fresh wave of soldiers boarded, but none of them attacked, they were all looking at their dead brethren and at Jon.

'They are afraid of him.' Stannis realized and he wondered what Jon Snow has done to induce such deep rooted fear inside his enemy and he thought, 'It would seem you made the right choice Robert.'

But just then another figure boarded the ship, unlike the others this man was in full armour, who was almost certainly a Greyjoy.

"What are you lot waiting for?Attack!" he screamed at his own soldiers, but none moved except one who rushed at Jon with his arm in full swing bearing his sword on him, but just then with a speed that was almost a blur for Stannis,Jon kicked him in the chest and the Ironborn was sent flying away, out of the ship and into the sea.

This discouraged, whatever few ironborn who were gathering courage to attack jon, that is when Greyjoy stepped forward

"So Trickster," he said" we meet again."

'trickster?"stannis wondered the meaning behind it

"Well met Lord Victarion, and I once again thank you for lending me your ship."

"You tricked me boy."

"Well to be honest, it wasn't that difficult." he replied as Victarion Greyjoy readied his grip on his axe and held his shield high and asked,"Tell me are you as good a warrior as you are murmurer?"

"I doubt that, my tricks are my greatest skills!" he said with a laugh.

"Very well, let's see if all those rumours about skills as a warrior are true." Greyjoy said, butJon just laughed and put his swords back in his sheaths.

"I don't even need a weapon to defeat you, I outclass you by leagues."

'Stupid!' Stannis thought, 'the folly of youth!'

Apparently Victarion was thinking along the same lines for he just smirked and attacked Jon. He tried to smash Jon by smashing his massive shield at him but Jon twisted around but was in way of the axe that Victarion swung at him caught the axe from its handle and yanked it from Victarion's grip and crouched low and hit Victarion's knee's with the axe and then got some distance away from him.

"Well get up" Jon said, Stannis noted that he was not winded up even in the held the axe's steel handle between both his arms and bended it with no effort at all, as if it was clay. Stannis could only look at the display of inhuman strength with wide eyes.

With some effort Victarion got up and once again approached and tried to swing his shield at him, but this time what Jon did shocked all of punched at the shield and the blow sent Victarion staggering a few feet away and he dropped the shield as he cried out in pain.

'He is inhumanly strong.' Stannis thought but it seemed like Victarion still had some fight left in him as he took out a dagger with his right hand and slashed at Jon with it only for Jon to get hold of his forearm and twist his whole arm. He then punched on his elbow and the sound of breaking of bones was heard not heard only due to Victarion's screams of pain.

'He is indeed leagues ahead of Greyjoy in every way!' Stannis thought 'He is in a league of his own, with no warrior anywhere close to him in any aspect.'

Due to the pain the Greyjoy was now on his knees as Jon took off his helm and threw it away.

"Kill me then." he said to which Jon Snow shook his head and punched him in the face sending him reeling then approached the unconscious Greyjoy and said something so slowly that no one was able to hear, but from the looks of it there was no malice or boasting.

He then got up and looked around, he picked up Victarion's helm and got up on the deck as he said loudly.

"Ironborns, your captain is down."

He raised the Kraken shaped helm as he said that and Stannis noticed that ironborns started surrendering gradually all around.

He then looked towards the Redwyne fleet, they too seemed to be finished with their work, sustaining some damages far as Stannis could see the strait was littered with sinking longboats. The only ones that weren'tsinking were some 10 longboats, trapped between what remained of the royal navy.

 _"Now let's finish this." Jon Snowsaid, but just then another war galley rowed beside fury, while not as big as fury, Stannis easily spotted his brother, the King and Tywin Lannister along with Mace Tyrell and his sons._

 _Soon a wooden plank was set between the two ships and Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister went to the other ship. Stannis and Ser Davos followed them too._

 _"Your grace." Jon Snow said._

 _"You are a bloody genius boy." the King said, but suddenly Jon moved his hand towards the king's face as if to punch him, the Kingsgaurd went for his sword, but it then became clear to all when in the next moment in Jon snow's hand was a bolt, the tip of which was half an inch from the king's eye. Jon Snow then threw the bolt towards the attacker; an Ironborn soldier with a crossbow had somehow gotten on the ship. The bolt hit the Ironborn in the throat as he lost balance and fell in the sea._

 _After composing himself the King looked at Jon and said,_

 _"I owe you my life, my boy, " the King said_

 _'My boy' Stannis was surprised at the way the King was talking to Jon snow, as if he was his own son. Which was ironic since the King didn't even talk to his own son that fondly._

 _"You owe me nothing your grace." Jon said as Victarion Greyjoy was brought before the King_

 _"Another squid", The King said and then motioned for the servants to take him away._

 _"Maybe now Balon Greyjoy will surrender, with three of his brothers our hostage and his heir dead." Mace Tyrell said._

 _"No" Jon snow said as he looked at the sea, a faraway look in his eyes as if he was seeing something the others couldn't. He then shook his head and said,_

 _"Balon Greyjoy will not be deterred by this, we will have to tear down his castle" Jon said._

"Jon Snow," They heard the croacked voice of Victarion Greyjoy and they turned around to look at him when he said again, trying to get up.

"You should have killed me when you had the chance!"

Then from his armour belt, he took out a horn and put it to his mouth and Jon Snow rushed towards him,shouting.

"Noooo, stop him."

Panic was evident in his voice, but Victarion had blown the horn and Jon approached Victarion and held him by his neck and said angrily

"Do you have any idea what you have done, you idiot."

"My last gamble" he said as Jon punched him, rendering him unconscious and then he took the horn and broke it and threw its pieces in the sea and then started looking in all four directions fanatically.

"What happened, Lord Commander?" Mace Tyrell asked.

"He blew the horn!"

"Yes, but so what boy, it was for naught, nothing happened"Stannis said, getting irritated by the boy's antics, although after witnessing him fighting, calling him a boy felt wrong. But Stannis was getting worried too, for Jon Snow to be getting skittish now, looking at the seas as if he expected the sea to attack.

"Jon" the King screamed. This got his attention as he looked at the King gravely and said

"He's woken it from its slumber"

"Who?" Stannis asked, but Jon didn't have to reply as just then the ship shook looked around, and all the ships were under the same condition and then he noticed it

'It's the sea' he thought just as a huge wave emerged from the sea between the ironborn longships and Redwyne fleet and what emerged from the waters stunned Stannis, he couldn't believe his eyes. A mythical creature, said to be a thing of legend, Horror of a past long gone was emerging from the sea.

He looked at Jon, who looked back at him and said

" **THE KRAKEN!** "

 **finally chapter 5 do tell what you think of it. chapter 6 will take some time , as i have written it but have yet to type it , but will update soon**

 **and plz plz review .**

 **if you have any doubt , go ahead ask.**

 **if you have any request for the story , you may ask. all suggestions are welcomed.**

 **-thanks for reading.**


	6. Chapter 6

**AU/-**

 **ALASIIR THE RANGER , being a merciful lord that I am , I will grant your request . haha.**

 **No, IIhave not abandoned this story , I was just on a long break,( the truth is I had written a lot of chapters , but I was just lazy to type them).  
But I am back now , so expect regular updates . And once again I apologize for not updating soon enough .**

 **Thnank you Rishabh singh for betareading the chapter.**

 **Now enjoy.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 6**_

Willas looked around as almost all the lords of the realm; from the Last Hearth to Reach or their representative were present. He looked at the three wardens; Tywin Lannister stood with the Westerland knights around him, most notable of them was the mountain. Ned stark stood next to the king with his own bannermen, with a very knights amongst them, most notable being the newly knighted Ser Jorah Mormont. Though there were very knights in the Northern party, Willas was not deluded to think that they were any less skilled than any knights. The tall GreatJon Umber and his son SmallJon who ironically was taller than his father, were bigger than most Southern knights. Regardless of the lack of knights within their ranks, the North has proved that they were perhaps the most ferocious warriors of the realm.

Willas couldn't help but wonder about a scenario where the Reach and North go to war, whether Reach's superior number would be sufficient edge against the winter hardened men of the North.

There stood his own father along with chivalrous knights of the Reach. Randyl Tarly stood proudly beside him with his Valyrian steel sword by his side. Willas looked at his brother and wasn't surprised to see the overwhelmed look he supported. They were in the presence of great men of the realm, powerful men, men who have performed great deeds in their life.

Eddard stark and King Robert had overthrown a three hundred year old dynasty when they were the same age as Willas. Tywin Lannister, who according to his grandmother was one of the most dangerous men in the realm, along with him stood the Mountain That Rides. Willas had of course heard about the monstrous nature of The Mountain.

On one side of the hall stood the knights of the Vale, sitting atop a throne like chair was the king of the seven kingdoms, beside him sat his strongest supporter; Lord Eddard Stark. The Warden of the North was the only one who wasn't talking loudly and boasting like the rest of the occupants. His face was stone hard as if a stone mason had carved it, expressionless.

'The quit wolf indeed' Willas thought.

And then his eyes fell on the person sitting on the other side of the king; the hero of the war, the Lord Commander of the royal army; Jon Snow. Jon Snow had become the youngest commander to gain a victory of this magnitude in the known history of the realm.

Willas couldn't help but envy him . and then he laughed at the whole situation , here he was , heir to one of the richest kingdoms in westros , being jealous of the bastard son of the lord of the north , the weakest kingdom. And he knew as a matter of fact that he wasn't the only one, while the other lords and knights were grateful to jon snow , they were also jealous of him. Willas was certain that whenever the Greyjoy rebellion will be talked about, only Jon Snow's name will be taken. His skills, powers, achievements had dwarfed everyone else's.

He thought about his various monikers, The Invincible, Jon the Impaler, and the most recent addition, the Kraken-slayer. He recalled the day Jon Snow had earned that title.

Flashback -

* * *

He looked around; the waves produced as a result of the emergence of Kraken were rocking the ships. Even the huge war galley such as the Fury was swaying hard and that was when their fleet was some distance from the Kraken.

"How in the name of the Seven will the Ironborn and Redwyne survive!" he thought as he looked towards the Ironborns who had surrendered earlier, around thirty Longships, and the Redwyne fleet and other Reachmen were.

"We must pull back!" Tywin Lannister said. Even the stoic Tywin Lannister seemed rattled and he was not the only one. Stannis Baratheon looked ready to flee too. Lord Tarly looked pale but was still somewhat composed. His own father was whimpering in fear, and his brother, despite being a great sword seemed very unnerved.

Even a renowned warrior like Robert Baratheon, the demon of the trident looked wide eyed at the beast in front of them. Willas would rather face a dragon than face a Kraken in sea, atleast against a dragon, he might be able to hide somewhere, but in the open sea, there was nowhere to go.

The only one who looked sure of himself as he looked at the legendary creature and it's tentacles drawing out of the sea ; Jon snow.

"No" Jon snow bellowed. "We will stay put" He commanded the captains.

"Have you lost your mind?" Tywin Lannister shouted at him.

"What do you suggest we do? Sail away? We will never be able to outrun it!" Jon responded.

"We shall sail for land, lord commander, we will be safe on land" his father said

"And what about them?" Jon asked. "Are they not your men, Lord Tyrell? I understand that you may not give a damn about the Ironborns, but do you not care for your fellow Reachmen and Lords?"

"Those men will die if we do nothing." Jon tried to reason.

"We can't do anything Lord Commander" Lord Tarly said just as a huge tentacle broke the surface and wrapped around a Longship and they all watched in horror at it snapped the huge Longship into pieces like a twig and dozens of Ironborn were sent to watery graves.

"I can" Jon said with determination.

"Ser Davos signal the captains to widen the distance between our ships, and command whichever ship has scorpion bolts to come towards us and aim them at the Kraken." he told The Onion Knight who proceeded to make the said signals. Soon the ships scattered away from each other.

Willas couldn't help but wonder what would be the use of scattering the fleet, but he could think about the maneuver for long as just then the Kraken destroyed another ship, this time a Redwyne war galley was torn into pieces. He really hoped Lord Redwyne was not on it. He was a bit close to the Redwynes due to his grandmother.

"We have to draw it away from them" Jon said loudly.

"But how?!" Willas asked.

"How will men fight such a creature?!" his brother asked.

"Yes, the creature is gigantic, a hundred men could not kill him" his father said.

"An army could not defeat him, it is invulnerable!" Stannis Baratheon added causing Jon to look at them grimly.

"Nothing is invulnerable, there is always a way." Jon remonstrated.

"It is outside of the scorpion's reach." Ser Davos said.

"How many scorpions do we have?"

"Seventeen, my Lord."

"Good, tell the men to not fire at once, they will fire one by one and that too on my command."

"Yes, My Lord, but we have a problem."

"What is it?"

"It is outside the range of a scorpion." Ser Davos said

"Well let's bring it into the firing range then." Jon Snow said and grabbed his bow and pulled out a single arrow from his quiver. Willas couldn't help but admire the bow, it was long, almost as long as Willas was tall, but it was the arrow that grabbed everyone's attention. It seemed unlike any arrow Willas had ever seen. The arrowhead was made of green dragon-glass and was wrapped around by golden wine like threads. The green dragon-glass was glowing as if it contained fire.

"A bow does not have a greater range than a scorpion bolt, Lord Commander. Certainly a renowned warrior like you will know that" Ser Kevan said in a mocking tone , only a few westerland men laughed at that , the others knew not to question the knowledge of a warrior of jon snow's skills and caliber .

"Look closely Lannister, it is Wierwood bow, they have unexplainable reach." Stannis replied as Jon just smiled at them.

He took aim and pulled the string back and for a moment willas thought that the arrowhead glowed a vibrant green and Jon let the arrow go. They all watched with in surprise that the arrow was able to reach such distance. Willas had heard that the Goldenwood and Wierwood bows were the best for superior reach, followed by Dragon-bone bow. But he was still unsure how a stone arrowhead would cause any damage. His concern however was quelled when a roar came from the Kraken and the men cheered for Jon snow. He was unsure if the roar was of rage or pain but the effect was immediate.

"Tell the scorpion operator to focus, it's not yet time to celebrate, The Kraken is not dead yet!" Jon told Ser Davos. And his words were soon proven true as something was moving towards their ship and it was moving fast - very fast. It looked like a small wave but Willas knew what it was as Tywin Lannister stated the obvious as he turned to Jon snow and said in a condescending tone

"And now it's headed for us boy."

"I know." Jon said and smirked and then looked at Ser Davos and asked

"Is it in the range now Ser Davos?"

"Aye, My Lord."

"Good, command the men to shoot the ballistae once at a time and to reload immediately," he told Ser Davos as he moved towards the helm of the ship where a ballistae was and took control of it. The Kraken was getting close. A part of Willas wanted to tell Jon snow to fire all ballistae at once for maximum damage, but he didn't get the time as just then he looked at Ser Davos and said

"Shoot!"

Ser Davos raised the flag with Baratheon sigil and waved it once and just then a scorpion bolt flew with breathtaking speed. It sailed the air but missed.

"Shoot!" Jon snow commanded again and Ser Davos waved the flag twice this time and another bolt was released. And it was another miss, although this one was pretty close to its target.

"Shoot!"

This time the scorpion bolt hit the creature approaching in the guise of a small wave. Five bolts were spent but Willas was surprised when the sixth bolt was fired. It then dawned on him, Jon snow had sacrificed the chances of doing maximum damage in one go for firing continuously. So by the time the next six scorpions were fired the first one was reloaded. This way the bolts kept coming.

'Not for long though!' he thought as he noticed that their ship was carrying only fifteen bolts.

"He should have shot all of them at once. It would have caused more damage and less chances of hit!" his brother said.

"I thought that too brother, but now I realize why they call Jon snow the most brilliant commander, he choose quality over quantity."

"Look, the Beast is slowing down" Willas said and true enough the Kraken, was still approaching them fast, but its speed had reduced noticeably. It was then The Onion Knight gave the grim news.

"All bolts are spent my lord" he told Jon snow. And now Willas was a bit worried but it would seem Jon Snow had another trick up his sleeve. He unsheathe his sword and raised it in the air and in front of their eyes the bronze sword morphed into a seven feet long spear with a spear head so sharp Willas couldn't even see it. The spear was as magnificent as the sword it was a few moments ago. The red ruby also molded where the spearhead met the shaft. But Willas was a bit confused.

'Surely he does not intend to throw that, and loose a weapon as unique as that one.'

But that is exactly what happened, Jon snow threw the spear at the Kraken with tremendous speed. The speed of spear only gave credence to his strength. Speed of the throw was only second to it's accuracy as it hit the center of the approaching beast and true enough, the desired result was achieved and the Kraken went down. The water was relatively calm.

But Jon snow was anything but calm as he shouted

"All hands to deck! Take whatever ranged weapon you can get your hands on bows, crossbows, spears. Use whatever you have and be on alert!" Jon said and then motioned for six spearmen and crossbowmen towards him and approached the king and said

"Surround the king, protect him at all cost. Do you understand?" he commanded the dozen men who nodded at him.

"You will be fine your grace."

"I hate this Jon, I hate being useless!" the King said and Willas couldn't help but agree

"There is nothing you can do. this is not a conventional foe. Just stay put."

"But the Kraken is gone now Lord Commander!" his father said

"You think it will go down in one attack." he said and paused as he looked at his father with burning intensity and said again "it's a Kraken not a summer knight!"

No one had the chance to retaliate to the insult as a loud roar came from beneath the boat that caused all the most men to cover their ears and some even dropped to their knees. The sound caused the entire ship to vibrate and shake

"It's back." Willas muttered as he looked around and felt panic and fear engulf him when giant octopus like tentacles appeared on the side of the boats. One, two, three, four, they just kept coming and soon enough about three dozen huge tentacles were dangling in the air around at least twenty ships.

Everyone aboard the ship took a few steps back as the giant tentacles slowly ascended upwards from the ship. The tentacles were greenish in color with large suction cups the size of a help on its underbelly.

"Halt" Jon shouted loudly. Willas had to give it to the boy, he could speak loudly without shouting.

"Halt" he said again as men seemed nervous as one of the tentacles was slowly made its way around one of the masts while another was slowly wrapping itself around the bow of the ship. The heir of the Highgarden stood close to other knights all with their weapons drawn out and back to each other looked in every direction.

"Oh Warrior, give me strength!" A knight prayed as he looked at the sky

"Your prayers are useless." Jon rounded up on him "The warrior himself would have trouble battling this demon of the deep seas. The only thing that will save you today is courage and your wit, not gods! Follow my commands and we will emerge victorious, I promise you all."

Just then a roar resonated again from beneath the ship that made the hull vibrate and cause shivers to go up everyone's spine. The Onion Knight and Stannis Baratheon were holding on to the side of one of the deck while staring at the giant tentacles.

"Aim the cross bows" Jon commanded and the soldiers followed.

"Are you sure it's wise, attacking it might just piss it off even more" Tywin Lannister said, surrounded by Westerland knights.

"That is the plan." he responded.

"Please tell me you have a strategy Jon."

"Off course I do, we just have to get it to show its ugly head. And then it's over" Jon said as Thoros of Myr set his blade on fire. Everyone looked at him, feeling everyone's eyes on him he said

"What boy, you are not the only one with tricks up their sleeves." he said to Jon snow, who just smiled and said.

"I know more tricks than you can imagine fire worshiper" Jon said and took out two swords from his sides and Willas was surprised to notice two Valyrian steel swords in his hand. He had heard about that, but he thought those were rumours too.

"Valyrian steel, that's impressive I guess, but not as impressive as this." Thoros said

"well I was just getting started, "Jon said and the two Valyrian steel sword turned smoldering red, like a blade just taken out of the forge. There was no apparent flame dancing on the blade but Willas knew that Thoros's flaming sword won't hold against the hot Valyrian steel swords. Jon then looked at the tentacles.

"NOW" Jon shouted as hundreds of arrows and bolts were shot at the tentacles. The attack did exactly what Tywin Lannister said it would and the tentacles began to writhe around in pain before they went hostile and began swinging in every direction.

One of the tentacles swung upwards and towards one of the mast of the ship and quickly destroyed it, sending it to the deck and spiralling of into the ocean. Jon quickly cut that tentacle and it retreated into the ocean. Randyl Tarly too took out his Valyrian steel sword and cut a tentacle that was wrapping around the main mast. Soldiers threw spears, shot arrows but they were not able to do enough damage. For every one tentacle that was sent back, two would rise from the ocean.

Willas looked around and he saw Jon snow running towards the wall of the ship and he jumped, cutting a massive tentacle mid jump and landing on another ship. Willas to prodded the tentacles with a spear, not everyone could jump across ships to cut down tentacles neither does everyone have a Valyrian steel sword.

A tentacle swung around but thanks years of training, his reflexes were sharp, and he managed to duck ad roll out of the way. A Lannister knight was not so lucky.

'It's a good thing the tentacles are pretty slow.' Willas thought just in time to see a tentacle rip through the hull of an adjacent ship from below. And there was Jon snow, cutting that tentacle with his angry red sword. He soon came back to their ship. Willas took the time to look around, there were still more than three dozen tentacles wreaking havoc in the fleet.

"Enough" Jon snow shouted. It was the first time Willas had heard rage in his voice. His Valyrian steel blades returned to their mundane form. He sheathed the swords and put his hand towards south, his palms wide open.

Willas, and everyone looked at him curiously and he looked towards south just in time to see something flying towards them at incredible speed and within a blink of an eye it reached Jon who caught it without looking at it. His divine sword was now back in his hand, the very same he had thrown in spear form at the Kraken, and Willas had thought it lost in the depths of the sea. Sword in hand, he moved towards the main mast and with great strength and grace climbed it within moments. He stood atop the main mast of the ship

"I said ENOUGH." the last word was said so loudly and had such power behind them that not just the men on the ships, but even the tentacles stilled. Jon then raised his sword in the air and in an instant; clouds as dark as night appeared in the sky, from all directions and merged with each other, blocking out the sun.

Standing atop the mast of fury, the biggest warship in the fleet, he was visible to all. His bronze sword glowed in contrast to the darkness of the clouds. Willas felt it before he saw it; a huge bolt of lightning struck his sword and lightening cracked across the blade. Thunder rumbled and lightening danced across the clouds and Jon then pushed the lightning bolt towards the sea and what happened next will forever be imprinted in his mind.

Hundreds of lightning bolts, each potent enough to put a castle sized crated in the ground, hit the sea like arrows hitting a shield. There was burning smell in the air, yet there was no fire. He saw as the tentacles, all of them writhed in pain before they went limp and slumped back into the sea and the lightening stopped. But the clouds still churned above them, rumbling, ready to unleash more of the destructive power. There was pin drop silence, even the sea had calmed down, the only source of sound being the thunder. Jon jumped from the ship and landed on the deck of the ship easily.

'He makes these feats of physical prowess seem so effortless ' Willas thought.

"It's gone" Ser Davos asked, looking at Jon in awe.

"no" he looked around everyone aboard the ship." my lords" he then looked at the king "your grace, prepare yourself to get the first complete look at the Kraken

"Are you telling me that it survived this massive attack of lightening?!" Lord Stannis asked

"Yes, My Lord." Jon told him "the Kraken's limbs, its tentacles are strong but they are just limbs, they are not its weak spot. You want to kill a Kraken; you have to attack its brain."

"So where did it go"

"It's severally wounded, let's hope I hurt it enough to drive it back to the deaths of the sea" Jon said, but alas it would seem the fortune was against them

"Look there!" a sailor shouted pointing some distance away from the ship and true enough, the water was cascading around one point. And before anyone could react, something huge broke the surface. A thing so was so huge, it looked as if an island has just emerged from the sea.

Everyone was rooted to their spot in fear, though like everyone else, Willas too was mystified and even awed to be in the presence of such a creature. The water that was displaced by the Kraken was rolling like huge waves and even the massive warships like furry were rocking terribly.

By then the Kraken had emerged completely from the sea. It was a huge Serpentine creature, its face like a dragon, its jaws were big enough to swallow a small ship whole. But the most terrifying feature where its eyes; blood red and the size of a horse, were glowing as if set ablaze.

He recalled reading in a the book written by corlys Velaryon, that if a dragon ever got within the range of a Kraken, then the Kraken could kill even a mighty dragon. Willas had always considered it stupid, after all there were documented dragons but no known sightings of a Kraken.

But now Willas knew that Velaryon's claim seemed true.

The Kraken then moved with surprising speed and took a longship in its jaws and snapped it to splinters sending the men aboard in the sea.

This prompted the men into action and without command every archer shot arrows at the Kraken, some even trying to throw the spear but no avail. Its hide was like rocks, impenetrable to any attack but it did annoy the beast as the next moment it roared so loudly that many men dropped their weapons in fright. Willas's attention was drawn away from the Kraken to what was happening on the ship

"It seems like you failed bastard" kevan Lannister snarled at Jon and put his hands around his neck

"And now we will all pay the price of your foolishness."

But before anyone could intervene, Jon wrapped one hand around kevan Lannister's neck and easily pulled him off the ground. he let go Jon and started flailing. Some Westerland knights stepped forwards from behind Willas to attack Jon but Jon raised his sword, lightning danced across its length.

One look at Jon, his eyes glowing like violet embers, filled with rage, for a moment, all Willas felt was fear. All consuming fear, it took a few moments for his to regain control of his mind only for him to realize that he had taken a few steps back without even realizing it, and another moment to realize that so had everyone else. Even the Westerland knights who had stepped forward!

Jon easily held the brother of the Lord of Casterly Rock in air by his neck with his left arm and raised his sword with his other. The glowing sword grabbed the Krakens attention.

"I am Jon snow" he said in low tone, yet he was heard across the fleet, as if the very air was carrying his words with it.

"I cannot be bested! Even the gods think twice before facing me!", saying this he looked at Tywin Lannister who stood some distance from jon and was glaring at jon snow ,then back at the Kraken.

Willas was confused, was Jon talking to Tywin, or the Kraken or both, perhaps.

"Fight me at your own peril." saying this Jon gave Tywin one last look, his eyes boring holes in him and threw Ser kevan aside like a rag. Some Westerland knights rushed to their lord's aid but Jon moved towards the upper deck and looked at the Kraken and said

"Return to the deapths of the seas from where you have come, or I will send your corpse there!" Jon said

Willas didn't know how, but it appeared as if the Kraken could understand and decided to accept the challenge. He didn't know who moved first, but just as the Kraken moved forward to attack, Jon too ran at breath-taking speed and from the bowsprit of the ship jumped at the lounging Kraken; a mighty jump, easily twenty feet high, and in one fluid motion embedded his sword deep within the Kraken head.

For a moment the Kraken stilled, but then it howled in agony and reared its head back, withering in pain, and that was when people noticed it, the tentacle that was wrapped around their ship turned to stone, and slowly but surely the giant body of the Kraken too started turning too stone, and at last it's huge head too turned to stone.

Willas couldn't believe his eyes, the Kraken was petrified, how, he didn't know. But sure enough it appeared as if someone had carved a giant stone statue of the Kraken, atleast twenty ship length long and five shiplength wide. It's huge Serpentine head just thirty feet above him

"Where is Jon?" the King asked loudly and everyone started looking around for any sign of Jon. Just the a figure stepped atop the petrified head of the Kraken and raised his glowing sword and everyone erupted in cheers, and soon the men started chanting Jon's name and soon only one word could be heard everywhere.

"Kraken-slayer! Kraken-slayer! Kraken-slayer!"

Flashback ends -

* * *

After that, the Ironborn had surrendered to Jon snow officially. They were sent to Old Wyk and Blacktyde to be held in prison till the fate of their lords was decided by the king, at least the fate of the lords that were still alive. After that news had soon come that Jon snow's man; the giant Glex, was successful and Orkmont was in their control now.

From then after a few days of rest and repair of the ships, Lord Stannis lead the attack against Great Wyk, the biggest of the Iron Island. He had been able to subdue the island within two months and the Saltclyff was besieged by the Tyrell forces. However they had put up some fight, refusing to surrender. It wasn't until Jon snow had arrived at the castle that the very next day the white flag was unfurled by the house Saltcliffe and they had surrendered to Jon snow. House Sunderly too had surrendered. Lord Jon had appointed Lord Tarly in charge while he took rest of the forces to storm the Pyke with the king.

It was at Pyke where technically the last battle was to be fought. But under the assault of siege weapons from the land the walls had fallen but not before the castle of pyke had crumbled due to the catapult attacks from the sea led by Jon snow. The only survivor of the Greyjoy family was Balon Greyjoy. His last remaining son Theon and daughter were at harlaw, which was already held by the northern forces. Balon's son Maron had been killed in the bombardment, Euron Greyjoy had escaped, none knew where while Victorian and Aeron Greyjoy were also prisoners.

As a result of the fall of castle Pyke, Jon snow has moved everyone to Great Wyk where Lord Stannis had subdued the lords of that island. For the past three days judgments were delivered upon the ironmen nobility. Victarion Greyjoy, Denys Drum, Rodrick Harlaw were pardoned after Jon snow had petitioned for them. The ladies and lord that have surrendered were also pardoned and only one trial was left to be held. A huge pavilion was erected at some height , the noble lords and knights stood there , while thousands of commonfolk stood below , looking at the judgments being passed.

He was brought out of his musings by sudden silence around him, the lords sat in silence as the king was about to speak.

"Today is the last day of delivering punishments and then we will all return home. Bring Greyjoy." he commanded

Within a few moments two soldiers brought Balon Greyjoy in chains. Despite losing miserably, the Greyjoy stood defiantly.

"Balon Greyjoy, what do you have to say for yourself, traitor?" the king asked.

"I am no traitor." the frail lord replied.

"You broke your vows " the king roared

"No Greyjoy ever swore fealty to any Baratheon. I am no oathbreaker. However the same cannot be said for a few men here" the Kraken lord said as he looked at ser Jamie and ser Barristan

"You better swear one now" king Robert said gripping his massive Warhammer.

"No your grace" Jon snow suddenly spoke up. Willas noted that he didn't shout yet his voice was loud and heard by everyone. Everyone looked at him and Jon spoke again

"After everything this man has done, for his crimes, he cannot be let go this easily" Jon snow said as this cause muttering amongst the lords and knights and even some commonfolk who were present.

"You asked for his brother Victarion and Rodrick Harlaw to be pardoned. Then why-" Randyl Tarly spoke but was cut short as Jon replied

"Because they were his subjects and they carried out their duty. Similar to how you and your fellow reach lords were pardoned after the war, because they were carrying out their duties. But I don't recall you forgiving the Targaryens. Balon Greyjoy is the Rhaegar Targaryen of this war your grace." Jon snow finished and King Robert narrowed his eyes at the last part.

Willas had to mentally applaud Jon, he was not only able to get pardons to some war criminals as he desired but was able to sway the king and fellow lords easily. It was a known fact that the king despised the very name Targaryen and by comparing Balon Greyjoy to the silver prince, Jon Snow had all but ensured his death. He didn't what he was upto but surely jon snow was playing a long game , one that none were aware of.

"I think," Balon Greyjoy shouted as everyone looked at him, "I think I made it clear bastard, that I broke no oath"

Balon Greyjoy had such venom in his words when addressing Jon snow. Willas couldn't fault him for that. The cause for his rebellion's failure could be laid at Jon's feet alone.

"Greyjoy" Jon snow roared, Anger evident on his face. The chill increasing drastically, in an instant, the flames in the torches dimmed. Willas looked at Jon snow, noticing for the first times the glowing orbs of purple he had for eyes. He was split between running in terror of the warrior before him and transfixed by his aura.

"I did not hold you accountable for breaking an oath. I hold you accountable for a far greater crime. I hold you accountable for the deaths of thousands of men on both sides who dies for your pride" he finished.

"That is the duty of people, to go to war for their lords. Will you hold the king or your father responsible for the deaths during their rebellion? Then why should I be treated differently?"

"King Robert and my father had a just cause, vengeance. What was your cause? Unwarranted greed!" Jon snow asked

"Your grace, my lords, Balon Greyjoy has a lot of blood on his hand; innocent blood." Jon said looking at the king and then at the other lords

" If death has no value than life has no meaning. Balon Greyjoy must be punished for his crimes otherwise your grace…"

Here he paused and looked at the king gravely and said

"It will set a wrong precedent. If rebel lords were to be set free without punishment, then what will deter the lords from rebelling in the future?"

Willas wholeheartedly agreed with him, he looked around and noticed that the other lords mirrored his thoughts. So good an orator Jon Snow was that the irony and hypocrisy of the whole situation was lost to everyone.

"My king" an archmaester of the citadel said, "Lord Commander's words reek of wisdom. It would be unwise to not heed his counsel".

"True" another master said as the maesters started muttering in agreement to Jon.

"Your grace" lord Tywin spoke in a heavy tone, "the Ironborns have harassed the realm for thousands of years. Now is the time to put an end to it. This is an unprecedented opportunity. We must put all the Ironborn nobility to sword."

"Most of the ironborn nobility died in the war lord Tywin" Lord Eddard stark said, "All that remain of the ironborn nobility are children."

Here he motioned towards the group standing at the far side of the camp surrounded by guards, they were all children, the eldest of them was a girl of fifteen. The mere thought of putting innocent children and women to sword left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Killing defenseless, innocent, children" Lord Yonze exclaimed.

"These children are the reavers and pirates of the future. A decade or two from now, they will go back to their old ways and will raid our lands again, we must quash any chance of that." Lord Tywin said again.

"I will not have any part in killing children, nor do I condone terminating every house on the islands. Beside so many houses are already extinct, only a dozen houses still remain."

"This is the only way, I once faced the same problem from my bannermen, I am sure you are all aware of how that ended for the Reynes " Tywin Lannister said

"Yes everyone remembers, we are all aware of the cruelty you are capable of to further your goals. But this is not Westerlands, nor is this Kingslanding" Lord Stark said as he moved to stand in front of Tywin. The Westerland knights went for their swords and so did the Northmen standing behind their respective lords. The mountain too moved to intercept the northern lords. Willas looked at two groups. His gaze briefly fell on Jon snow who just then glanced at the giant beside him, who then moved to stand next to Lord Stark, in front of the mountain.

It was a sight to behold; Mountain looked in anger for it was probably the first time he had to raise his head to look at someone. Glenn just smirked at him and the other Westerland knights and said in a deep voice

"Puny knights."

This brought some chuckle from the Northern Men and the ironmen common folk.

"I must agree with lord stark in this, we cannot carry out an act of such monstrosity. I cannot have that on my conscious. Besides if lord Tywin had his way, he would kill everyone who is not a lannister." Jon snow finished as Ser Kevan said

"Then it's a good thing you have no say in this bastard, you are no lord nor you are a knight. "

Jon's eyes flashed in anger briefly, as glen and his other guards gave loud groan, even the Northmen and the knights and lords of Riverland stood up at this insult, even some Vale knight and Lord Royce stepped forward in anger. But before anyone could say anything with a flash Jon snow's divine sword was in his hand. In that one moment everything changed. The sunny day was soon darkened as thick black clouds appeared in an instant, casting a overstretching shadow on the island. Some even whimpered in fright. Willas shivered in the sudden cold wind. His sword and armor felt so heavy he thought he would be crushed under its weight.

The only source of light was the glow emitted by the bronze sword and Willas made a mistake of looking at Jon snow's eyes, and an image of Margery's mangled body crossed his vision, followed by a view of Highgarden crumbling. He was brought out of the nightmare when Jon snow came close to Kevan Lannister and said in a whisper, yet it was heard by everyone, as if the air itself was carrying his voice to all corners.

"I don't need some fancy title to do what is right, or to stop what is wrong. My strength is my title. I have a say in this, my skills and my power gives me a say in this."

"Enough" the king roared. "Jon" king said softly and on cue the sword vanished in the same flash and he backed away, sitting in his seat. The Westerland and Northern men too dispersed.

"I have decided on a what to do " king Robert said. "Lord Tywin is correct, if left to their own measures, the Ironborns will start striking again within a few years."

Tywin Lannister gave a smirk at that and looked at Jon snow and then at Eddard stark.

"Which is why we need someone to take The Ironborns into a new direction, in a new age. And as such the fate of the remaining Ironborn nobility will be decided by their new lord paramount." he finished as everyone looked at him, the Ironborn, noble and thousands of common folk looked at the king with a mixture of fear and relief.

"Ser Kevan said the Jon is not a lord" he looked at the Lannister party and scoffed and then said again, "lets rectify that"

"I, king Robert, of the house Baratheon, the first of his name, in the presence of the lords of the realm and people of iron islands, declare, Jon snow, as the lord paramount of the Iron islands, to be held by his descendants till the end of time."

The king's announcement left everyone stunned, bastards have been knighted in the past, they have even been rewarded with lordship, but never has a baseborn ever ascended to the station of a lord paramount, even if he was to be the lord of the smallest of the kingdoms. Apparently the others were of the same mindset. But before anyone else could object, Jon snow himself stated

"I must speak to you in private, urgently your grace."

But the king was having none of it

"This is not your reward lord commander, this is your king's command and I confer this heavy burden upon you, to reform the Ironborns and only a man of your intellect can do it. " the king said as he sat down on his chair .

"Your grace, pardon me but I must put forth a point. I have killed more Ironborn than anyone in this realm, the Ironborn will never accept me as their lord, let alone their lord paramount." Jon snow said, and Willas was surprised by the desperation in his voice. Sure, the Iron islands was not as big as the other kingdoms, or any substantive wealth, but still the lord paramount was a great title to hold.

"No, my lord" Willas turned around to see the source of the voice, and an old man stepped forth from the crowd, the soldiers tried to stop him but the king told them to let him come forth

"Pardon me for speaking out of turn your grace, but I come to beg of you to convince lord Jon to rule the iron island "

This was met by befuddlement by everyone of the nobility but the common folk seemed to be in agreement. Even jon snow was confused .

"You will have a man who killed numerous of your kin as your ruler." Willas couldn't help but ask in astonishment. The old man looked at Willas and said

"Aye, they were fortunate to receive the gift of death from a warrior like him. Before the Targaryens came, house Hoare ruled the Iron islands, they knew the value of trade over raids. king Greyiron, slew the great Naga and he was the greatest ruler the iron islands have had. And now lord Jon, has slain a Kraken. Not only that, he risked his own life to save the Ironborns who had surrendered. The Kraken, is the god of the deep sea and only a god can kill another god. I will happily call him my lord and die for him if need be, for he is my god."

He finished and went on his knees, the smallfolk started cheering and it left Willas dumbfounded. How could they want a man as their lord who has killed thousands of their kin? And he was not the only one, everyone was thinking along the same lines , Jon was stunned by this , Tywin Lannister looked livid , and so did his father . Eddard stark was seemed surprise but a bit on the edge .

"Silence" the king shouted, but none listened. Many lords and soldiers tried to maintain silence but failed. Then suddenly they quieted. Puzzled Willas looked around and was surprised to see Jon, one hand raised in air.

"Let the Kraken-slayer speak"

"Aye "another said

"Let our lord speak" another commoner shouted

"I will lead you, but I would ask one thing in return ,"Jon said and after a pause continued

"Loyalty, absolute loyalty. "

"Can you give me that" he asked loudly and was met by the roar of thousands of men.

"Your grace , I will take this heavy burden on my shoulder , but on one condition" he said to the king

"Whatever my boy" the king said

"I will govern in my own way , not the way any other lord or the crown wishes , I will not be a puppet of the politicians in the capital who only know how to play with words and not take any action" he said

"I ask of you , the king of the seven kingdom , to grant me full autonomy over the iron islands, and if by the time I come of age , and you and I are satisfied by the state of the islands , then I will continue and swear fealty to you"

The king nodded to that but before he could say anything lord tywin spoke up

"You cannot be serious about this your grace , he cannot be made a lord paramount . no matter how skilled he is , he is a bastard he- " but he was cut short as king robert thunderd upon tywin

"Mind your fucking tongue Lannister , you are speaking to a fellow lord paramount " king robert said , holding his massive Warhammer in hand , reminding everyone why he was called the demon of the trident.

"From this day forth , jon , you have complete power over the iron islands . the islands are exempted from paying taxes for the next ten years . anything else you require jon ? gold, men , food?" he asked

"No your grace , however I would like it very much if the reach or riverland were to sell us food at a fair rate, I can't have my people starving , and I want to end the tradition of piracy " jon said

"don't worry my lord" it was the blackfish " if the reach won't then I am sure my fellow lords of riverland will sell you food at a much lower rate that it is."

"yes" lord mallister added," we all are alive because of you . the riverland is not burning , thanks to you , all of us here would have perished against the kraken , we mallisters will never forget your aid . I will send the food within a fortnight to the islands , we can take care of the payment later " he finished and the next to stand was lord redwyne

"I heard that when everyone wanted to pull back and leave us to our fate against the kraken , you refused and save us . you save my son, the arbour owes you a huge debt , and I would like to pay back some of it , by offering you fruits , wine and tents " he finished as both paxter redwyne and jon snow shook hands . looking at his father who didn't seem to have any inclination to say anything , willas moved forward .

"everyone has already said it , without you this war would have been very costly to the realm , and causalities would have been high, so yes reach will help you in any way we can , I promise you this" willas said as he shook hands with the legendary jon snow . he didn't want to go over his father like this , but his father's silence was showing reach in a very bad light . he knew his grandmother will support him.

"that's great then" the king said "stannis , send out the riders , hundreds of them in all directions , I want every castle and every town and every village from the wall to sunspear to hear of the new lord paramount of the iron islands , and the warden of the sunset sea . the kraken-slayer . "

Lord stannis nodded in obedience and jon turned to the people .

"If anyone of you does not want me as your lord, please make yourself known now. " Jon said and for a few moment nothing happened , but in response the Ironborn started kneeling, one by one they all knelt .

Except one man , One lone man stood amongst thousands of men on their knees.

"I apologise, but I am afraid I cannot kneel" he said as he maneuvered amongst the mass and came to the front and Willas got a good look at him. he was tanned, tall, easily six feet and a half tall, raven haired but the most distinguished feature of his was his eyes, amber eyes looked around the assembled lords, greatest and most powerful men of the realm and knights in amusement as he steped on the pavilion.

"And why is that" a master asked

"He is not my lord" the stranger replied

"You are not Ironborn" another master noted

"Indeed " he responded and Willas had to agree, the way the man carried himself, with such confidence, he had to be of high birth, which was augmented by his clothes, the man wore a cloak that seemed well out of reach of some lesser lords, let alone a commoner

"I am a mere traveler, I came here looking for something, but I will not bow down to anyone, not him, not that king , no one" he said, this caused everyone to look at Jon snow, but Willas was surprised by his reaction. He expected someone of Jon snow's temper to have punched the man in the face by now, but Jon snow looked at the stranger with a quizzed look, as if solving a puzzle.

A sharp hiss came from the stranger as he clutched his head with his hand as if trying to deal with a headache. He then looked at Jon, with utter loathing and said

"How dare you, I will kill you" saying this he started moving towards Jon only for a lot of warriors to come forwards in his defense. Even Ser Barristan came forwards in defense of the insult to his king .

"No" Jon snow said, a tinge of worry in his voice as he addressed everyone around him.

This surprised willas , the man who stood unnerved in the face of the kraken , was somewhat wary of this stranger .

"This foe is beyond you all " Jon snow warned everyone but his brother did not heed that warning and casually strode towards the stranger while saying

"you give the knights too little credit my lord" his brother Garlan said, as he unsheathed his sword and moved to counter the stranger, Garlan was considered one of the best of Highgarden, certainly way better than him, but for some reason he felt apprehension build inside him, maybe it was the casual annoyance with which the stranger looked at garlan or perhaps it was Jon snow's comment of the stranger's prowess.

Garlan went for an overhead strike, but the stranger did not even move to take out his weapon, and mid strike, the stranger punched Garlan on chest, over his steel plate armour, with enough power to send Garlan to the ground, some ten feet away. Willas immediately went to his brother's side and helped him back on his feet. His eyes widened in shock at the fist sized dent in Garlan's chest plate.

"Anyone else" the stranger said, his arms wide open in invitation. The next to move in was lord Yonze, but he too was too slow, the stranger just grabbed the sword hand and twisted it and put his hands on the bronze armour and yanked on it, and threw Lord Yonze away like a wooden dummy.

Some more knights rushed forwards, but the stranger made quick work of them. Willas was surprised by the strength and speed with which the stranger possessed, he had only witnessed such prowess by Jon snow. He looked at Jon snow who was holding the Northmen from rushing to fight, and looked at those who were trying to fight the stranger with resignation.

'He knows about this stranger, he knew about his powers' Willas thought as the last opponent was kicked by the stranger in the chest, sending him flying in the air, right before Jon snow.

"Enough" Jon snow said, halting others who were about to rush at the stranger but then Ser Barristan stepped forward then but jon snow suddenly put a hand on his chest , stopping him.

"As I said this foe is beyond anyone here ,you cannot beat him Ser Barristan , there is no knight that can beat this man , he can rip you in two with his bare hands" jon snow said somberly and the stranger smirked at that.

"then allow me , my lord " the giant then went by the name Glex said.

"no, even a titan like you might not be able to defeat him" Jon snow said again.

"I must say" the stranger said "I expected more from the Westrosi knights, I was told they were very good. It would seem I was misled" he said giving a smirk

"Aye" Jon snow said as he strode forward , whatever was bothering him was gone , this was the same man who had slain a kraken and killed hundred in the war, he then sadi again" But you do have an unfair advantage over them. I wonder how you would fare against one of your own kind."

Whatever the undertone was meant to be, it wiped the stranger's smirk right off his face

" What is your name and where is your sire? " Jon snow asked, his voice held an edge to it. And the stranger felt it too.

" The Name is Gryffindor, Godric Gryfindor " he replied which seemed to take Jon snow by surprise if widening of his eyes was any indication, and just then the stranger lunged at Jon snow.

* * *

 **so what did you think of this , guys please review and share this story . and don't worry i will update both my stories regularly now .**

 **any queries and suggestion , please send them my way.**

 **anyway , what name should jon take, i have a few options ; peverell( it was the name of a legendary wizarding family) , stark( i won't go for any variant of stark like seastark or ironstark or something, just stark), or should he keep it as just snow, you know as a symbol of his success and hope to other bastards across the realm.**

 **and what should be his sigil, a wolf, or a werewolf perhaps, or hedwig's form , maybe a tiger, or anything else.**

 **what do you guys think , do give your advise .**

 **PS- some readers mentioned that a few of line in chapter 2 were inspired from a movie; Bahubali. yes they were . guys if you are into period drama , and war an all that , you must watch this movie and it's sequel . give it a shot on my words , yes some of the scene are over the top , but it's fun . i am sure you can find English dub on the net somewhere .**

 **thanks for reading.**  
 **till next time.**


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

 **I Know this chapter is long overdue , and i appologize for such a long delay , but it;s the last year of law school and it's hectic as hell.  
Anyway , Here you go enjoy.**

* * *

Jon stood atop a cliff, alone. His sword in his hand, his tent perched atop the cliff, while tens of thousands of tents were sprawled along the ground below him. He was confused. For the first time - despite his tricks and magic - things had not gone his way. The reason behind his participation in the war was twofold; to get Neville's attention and to earn a lordship. That was the reason why he had refused to be knighted, all that about Arthur Dyane and other infamous knights was utter hogwash. He had refused knighthood because he knew The King would want to reward to him in some way and if he couldn't knight him, then his hands were forced to grant him some lands. His next course of action was to manipulate Robert by sending him the vision and weaving a fabricated story behind his sword. But his plan did not yield the outcome he had desired.

He never wanted to be the Lord of Iron Islands. Their entire culture was around reaving, pirating and raping. Things he would never tolerate. He wanted to be the Lord of Moat Cailin. It would have been the perfect base for him. He would have seas on both sides of his land, besides strategically it would have been a great position as it is the gateway to north. Even trade would have made him more than prosperous. And if needs be, it would have been a perfect place to conquer other kingdoms.

That was the reason he had sent Robert Baratheon the vision of Lyanna stark. He still refused to refer to her as his mother. His mother was Lilly Potter, the women who sacrificed her life to save him, not a love stricken girl who fell for Rhaegar's schemes.

But it would seem that the vision had more drastic effect than he had anticipated. He had misjudged the love Robert still had for Lyanna. No one in the history of Westeros has ever been ascended from a bastard to the Lord Paramount of a kingdom.

That was the only plus of this situation. If he were to become The Lord of Moat, then he would have been just that - a Lord. A lesser Lord that was answerable to The Starks. Now while he had no qualms about answering to his father, he knew Lady Stark could have been a problem, especially if due to some reason Robb were to ascend as The Lord of the Winterfell even while his father was alive. But instead, he was The Lord of his own kingdom now, a Lord Paramount, even if The Iron Islands were poor and sparsely populated and barren islands. So technically he was equal to Ned Stark in station.

'Oh what I wouldn't do to see Lady Catelyn's expression upon hearing the news,' he though and laughed out loud. But then he thought of the problems that came with being The Lord Paramount of The Iron Islands. The Island had very little population, and people here knew only how to sail the seas and piracy. They had no other vocational skills; even farming was a skill foreign to the ironmen.

This was why he needed Neville. Neville not only had the knowledge to change and alter the topography with his magic, he was extremely skilled in it too. He recalled, once Neville had converted an entire dry rocky island near Australia into a lush green one within a week. Moreover Neville was the only one who could build castles and other structures that he himself could not.

However those were not the only reasons he needed Neville. He needed Neville because he was his friend - his only connection beside Hedwig and Dobby to his previous life. But unlike Dobby and Hedwig, Neville was someone who could advise him, help him and he really missed him.

Plus, the land of the islands was hardly fit for farming. The only thing the islands have in abundance was iron, huge quantities of magnetite ore was present, however the Ironmen didn't know how to mine them properly or even use the magnetite ore. Neville however could possibly replicate the wootz steel of his previous world with these specific ores. After all the shield Godric carried was looked very much like the famed Damascus steel of his previous world. Maybe Neville taught Godric too.

He will have to somehow impart vocational skills to the ironmen, atleast basic skills such as farming, smith, glass blowing, carpenters, horse and cattle breeders, stone masons, and that too fast and at large magnitude. But he didn't know how to achieve that.

To think that Neville not only adopted the name of their house founder, but also named his son after the legendary founder and the only source of hope of finding Neville, was the young man who had challenged him in front of the king, the young man who was currently making his way up the cliff towards him. He recalled the fight with the hybrid and how for the first time in this world someone had been able to land a blow on him.

 **Flashback**

* * *

"Enough" Jon snow said, halting others who were about to rush at the stranger but then Ser Barristan stepped forward then but Jon snow suddenly put a hand on his chest, stopping him.

"As I said this foe is beyond anyone here, you cannot beat him Ser Barristan, there is no knight that can beat this man, he can rip you in two with his bare hands" Jon snow said sombrely and the stranger smirked at that. He knew he should not have used legilimency on him , but he had to know more , had to be certain about the stranger , a hybrid. It completely slipped from his mind that hybrids are naturally immune to cursory mind magics such as legilimency and illusions

"Then allow me, my lord ." the giant then went by the name Glex said

"No, even a Titan like you might not be able to defeat him" Jon snow said again, and he meant it. He was certain that Glex was more powerful than a hybrid but he knew a hybrid was very fast and would be able to kill Glex.

" I must say" the stranger said" I expected more from the Westerosi knights, I was told they were very good. It would seem I was misled." he said giving a smirk.

"Aye" Jon snow said." But you do have an unfair advantage over them. I wonder how you would fare against one of your own kind."

This wiped the hybrid's smirk right off his face

"Who are you? What is your name and where is your sire?" Jon asked, adding a compulsion charm to his words. And the hybrid felt it too.

"Name is Gryffindor, Godric Gryfindor" he replied and Jon stopped in shock at that, but he didn't have the chance to inquire further as just then the stranger gave a feral grin and lunged at him.

He and Godric started fighting when Jon had approached him and Godric had went for a punch at his head only for Jon to block it and deliver a straight punch at his face which sent him stumbling a few feet. A punch like that would have rendered any other man unconscious, but the hybrid was not even bruised. Godric had then looked at Jon with a bit of uncertainty for a few seconds before pounding on him. And while they were fighting, Jon's mind had wandered to the past. His spars with Neville and he compared this hybrid to the hybrids Neville had made from his own world. He was undoubtedly strong, but he was not as fast as the hybrids Neville had made in their previous world. He thought about all the practice duels with Neville.

He and Neville had sparred a lot of times before their confrontation with Voldemort. Neville always had an upper hand in physical combat, his speed was astonishing - almost a blur sometimes. His strength too was beyond comparison. Only due to his animagus form - a direwolf - which augmented his physical strength, and other so many rituals he had performed, he was able to defeat Neville. Unfortunately for him, the powers he had gained from all those ritually, were diminished to a large degree after his rebirth, specially the one when he had gained the powers of a phoenix, thunderbird and a Dementor.

In his previous life, after the ritual, he could exclude an aura of fear and coldness, but now he needed to focus his magic, using a wand or a magic sword to channel that fear. He had been capable of flying at breath-taking speed, without the aid of any magical construct or spell. But now he could only float a short distance and even for that he needed a wand.

His death aura which could render even wizards scared so much that they couldn't even twitch a muscle and summoning lightning and storm had been as easy for him as breathing. But now he needed The Elder Wand for that, although now he could also use his magical sword but result was nowhere near that powerful.

However, it was from Fawkes he had gotten most of his powers from. Immense control over fire and the immunity to it - and wand-less too. But he needed a wand for that too now, and could only do lighter feats of such magic wand-lessly. But his greatest asset, the ability of compulsion in his voice - which Neville had remarked was more potent than any Imperius curse - was so diminished now that he had to rely on his wits and words along with compulsion charms to accomplish the task and still it was nowhere as efficient. He just hoped Neville's compulsion abilities were still with him.

The hybrids created by Neville were stronger and faster than either vampire or werewolf. The only reason Jon was superior to them was because of his animagus form. In this world, he never had any problem facing any adversary, especially after his animagus transformation.

His Animagus form has imparted a lot of powers to him, even in his human form. His strength was majestic. His muscles seemed to be hardened as if made of mithril fibres. His bone structure had hardened tenfold. But there was till one aspect where Neville was leagues ahead of him; speed. And unlike other ritually gained powers, his physical prowess was the same, even better since as Jon snow, his body had gotten ample nourishment in his formative years, unlike as Harry Potter.

Jamie Lannister and Ser Barristan were good - even more skilled than himself, but his herculean strength and speed has ensured that he looked way better than the duo and was able to defeat them with ease. He was uncertain if he'd be able to defeat them both easily otherwise. Both Ser Barristan and The Kingslayer were exceptionally good. He had been certain that his superior strength and stamina would be enough to defeat any foe in this world.

It was with great relief, he had noted that neither Hedwig, nor Dobby had suffered through similar aftereffect and their powers were intact. But then again, unlike them he was reborn. This is what had him wondering if Neville's powers had diminished too in this world, or if the hybrids created by him were not as strong as the ones in their previous world. However he got the answer when the very next moment Godric punched him in the throat and he spluttered for a few moments .

Jon coughed a little as he clutched his throat and groaned a bit. That strike hurt, this was the first time anyone in this world had landed a blow on him. And everyone around him knew that, which is why he could see all the gathered lords, knights regarding Godric with even more wariness than before. He could see Kevan Lannister adorning a look of satisfaction at that.

Jon took a moment to gather his wits and then it started again. His enchanted armoured gloves provided him with little edge. They both delivered punches after punches. Jon jabbed at him, Godric blocked it and with his other hand threw an uppercut at Jon only for him to sidestep and punch Godric in the armpit but Godric caught his hand between his arm and rib and Jon held his other hand in a tight grip. They had finally reached a standstill only for Godric to head-butt Jon. The force of which caused Jon to stumble a few feet back, but because of his enchanted helm Godric too was fazed for a few moments.

They both took a few moments to collect themselves before Jon took out both his Valyrian steel sword and said

"Let's up the ante, shall we?"

Godric looked at him curiously for a few seconds and he took off his cloak, revealing a scabbard tied to his waist and a disc shaped shield on his back. Godric took out his sword; a scorpion scimitar, made up of some blackish metal and took off his shield, made of the same colour and metal as the sword and held it in his left arm

"Interesting" Jon said.

And then they lounged at each other. Their weapons struck each others's rapidly, but not once could either bypass the other's guard. It was getting frustrating for Godric and Jon noticed it too so he kept going. But in an ironic twist, Jon was the one to make the first mistake as his strike with his left hand was not timed properly and Godric took advantage of it and hit Jon's wrist with his shield's edge with a monumental force and Jon's sword clattered to the floor.

But the two didn't pause and kept fighting, Jon knew he was at a slight disadvantage which is why he pushed magic through it and the Valyrian steel sword turned hot red. Godric was already on one knee going for an underarm strike and didn't have the time to react as he could only watch with wide eyes as the two swords met. The Valyrian steel blade cut the scimitar, like a hot knife through butter, just a few inches above the guard.

Jon turned on his heel and with all his might aimed a punch at his head and Godric, still on his knees brought up his shield in time and Jon's punch connected with his shield, dead centre, his gauntlet and shield produced a loud resonant sound, but none gained an inch. It was like an unstoppable force meeting its match in an immovable object.

Jon quickly pushed the shield away with one hand and kicked Godric in the chest sending him reeling a good ten feet away. But the force of the kickback put him off-balance and he lost his footing too. By the time he got up, Godric threw what remained of his sword at him like a dagger only for Jon to deflect it with his sword and he glanced back and saw the sword imbedded in Balon Greyjoy's throat. He looked back only to see Godric attacking him again, not concerned about balon greyjoy's fate even a bit, using his shield to best advantage. They parried each other a few more times when Godric, again with blinding speed parried his sword with his shield and punched him in the face and at the same time , without missing a beat, grabbed Jon's sword hand and twisted it with all his might, causing Jon to drop his sword and with a swipe Godric kicked the sword way out of Jon's reach.

Jon paid no heed to the loss of his sword and kicked Godric in the knee which caused him to let go of Jon's arm and launched a hook at Godric's face and just as his fist was about to connect with his jaw he cast a silent banishing charm, The glow of the spell hidden beneath his gloves. The result; Godric was sent flying a good fifteen feet in the air.

Godric shook his head, trying to dispel the ringing in his head and looked at Jon in shock. Jon knew the punch coupled with a banishing charm would have hit like speeding Hippogriff. He saw as Godric struggled to stand up. Taking the opportunity Jon went to pick up his swords but a feral growl made him pause. He looked at Godric, on his knee, growling like a feral animal and his eyes shining like amber.

'Uh oh" Jon muttered as he realized that the wolf within Godric was angry. And then suddenly Godric did the unthinkable and threw his shield at Jon like a discuss . Only quick thinking caused Jon to cast an impedimenta jinx on the shield and only then he was able to catch it in one hand. If not for the impedimenta charm, the shield was thrown with such force that, at best it would have broken his hand.

He decided then to show Godric who was the boss here and threw the disk back at Godric with all his might and Godric had to catch his shield with two hands, and even then the force pushed him back a few feet and he slammed into Glex causing the giant to move back a few steps.

Looking around for a few moments and finding no weapon in reach, Godric growled causing the knights around to take a few steps back, except Glex. Godric moved towards Glex and before Glex could object to it, he tried to lift Glex's Bell-mace, only to find that he could only lift it a couple of inches; which he promptly dropped with a yelp and looked at Glex in surprise.

"This is a Titan's weapon, runt" the half giant said.

Seeing no other option Godric rushed at Jon with just his shield. Jon, disarmed of both his sword, took out his kukri knife and the two advance at each other again. Jon held his hand in forward grip and tried to stab Godric, but the latter made good use of his shied and always blocked the attack. They were going at it with such incredible spped that he knew that others would be having hard time following their movements. Jon flipped the knife in the air and caught it in a reverse grip and tried to slash at the hybrid but all in vain, and to add salt to the injury as the fight kept going , somehow Godric seemed to get even faster . then , in frustration Jon grasped his collar and threw him away, twisting his arm in the process and wrestling his shield from Godric.

But during this byplay Godric had kicked Jon in the head causing him to lose his helm. Jon roared at the loss of his helm and he again threw the shield at Godric but this time, he cast a wand-less Filipendo jinx at it, increasing it's momentum tenfold and Godric made a wise call and ducked out of the way instead of catching it like the last time. The shield imbedded into the trunk of an Oak tree a few feet behind Godric. Godric, for the first time, looked at Jon in fear. Finally realizing that he was outmatched.

"I normally prefer a scalpel, but the situation calls for me to use a hammer", Jon said out loud and walked towards Glex. He knew that though he would be able to lift the Bell-mace for few moments. But not unlike Godric, he won't be able to effectively use it; it was extremely heavy. But Jon wasn't a wizard for nothing. He cast a featherlight charm on the mace and lifted it.

Even Godric looked at Jon with his mouth open like a fish, for a few moments. This surely made him realize that Jon was physically stronger than him. This was what Jon wanted to establish. He wanted to intimidate him. Jon looked at King Robert.

"You asked me how good I am with a hammer? I hope this counts."

Saying this he lunged at Godric as the King's laughter boomed behind him. He knew that if a feather-light mace were to hit Godric it won't do any damage, which is why just as the mace was going to connect with him he cancelled the featherlight charm and before quickly casting it again. But the damage was done, though Godric ducked from the strike the wooden pole of the tent was hit and it broke. This continued for the next few moments and Jon demolished Godric and soon the hybrid was on the ground. His shield out of his grasp as Jon brought the mace from above, but Godric rolled away just in time and the heavy Bell-mace hit the stone floor beneath - smashing it into pieces.

Godric was about to stand up when Jon hit him with mace in the stomach causing him to howl in pain for the first time in the fight and he could see the agony in his eyes. He let go of the mace and punched Godric in the face coupled with a silent Depulso. Godric was thrown a good fifteen feet away, just before the pavilion where The King sat.

Jon approached the injured hybrid and lifted him by his neck with ease. Godric, injured and in pain was not able to offer much resistance. He squirmed due to lack of air. Jon knew it won't kill him permanently, the hybrid will be healed and up and again in a few hours. Godric looked Jon in the eye, Jon could see pain and anguish in them, but he also detected confusion in them. Probably wondering how anyone was able to defeat a hybrid. But suddenly his gaze moved up, towards Jon's forehead and his eyes widened; a reaction which confused Jon before realisation dawned upon him.

'He recognize my scar' Jon thought and he was right for Godric looked at him again and spoke - in a whisper so low even Jon barely heard it - just two words.

"Harry Potter!"

This caused him to loosen his grip and Jon gave him a hard look and then nodded

"Took you long enough to figure it out." Jon said and let go of him which caused him to stumble as he took long breaths and after a few moments, then raised his head and looked at Jon in admiration and awe and spoke

"forgive me my lord, for I didn't realize who you were." he said and after giving a small pause he went on both knees and said two words that caused everyone, noble and smallfolk alike to start muttering.

"Our creator"

* * *

 **Flashback ends**

"Master" the high pitched sound of Dobby brought him out of his musing and he spun around to find him standing with Marwyn.

"Dobby, how are you?" Jon replied as he met the house-elf.

"Dobby is having too much fun, Jon Snow Sir! So much work to do, Dobby loves helping the great Jon Snow, Sir!" the enthusiastic elf replied.

"He is working miracles indeed. Already a lot of people are taking to the Wierwood trees. When they find out that they prayed for something in front of the trees and if it is something simple, Dobby grants their wishes and they think the old gods listened." Marwyn added

"Splendid Dobby, and I must say you were brilliant with the kraken. A little too brilliant. For a moment even I forgot that the kraken was nothing but an enchanted magical construct, enlarged and controlled by you" Jon said

"Thank you Jon snow Sir!"

"However there is a certain new development , my lord" Marwyn said

"Go on" Jon said

"There are whispers , specially among the older folks , about you being a God , or at-least divine in some way . they say anyone with your strength and powers could only be a god. And when Godric Gryffindor , the only one who has ever been a able to last longer than a few moments against you , the only one who could resist your strength for some time , when he called you 'OUR CREATOR' , it added fuel to the fire" Marwyn finished.

This sent jon into a conundrum , he never wanted to be considered a god , he had only fanned the rumors which claimed him to be a demigod to eclipse his illegitimacy . he was uncertain on how to deal with this .

"We will think about it later Marwyn , anything else on your mind?" he asked

"And I must say my lord, your plan with the Kraken was splendid but I was wondering if it was necessary. Even before slaying the Kraken, you were regarded as one of the greatest warriors of the realms, then what was the need of the Kraken." The archmaester asked

"Oh Marwyn, my reputation after defeating the Ironborn in numerous battles and beating the Kingslayer and Ser Barristan might have put me on par with the greatest warriors in the history, but I want my reputation to be a notch above others." Jon replied. It was true too. Not that Jon would have cared much about what people thought of him but he wanted to build a reputation to his name - a dangerous one at that. Not because he was vain or egoistic, but he knew that there would be others. Lords and Ladies who would have thought themselves his superior, as evidenced by Kevin Lannister trying to physically assault him but slaying the kraken would dissuade these nobles from crossing him. And now since he was The Lord of a Kingdom, his reputation was all the more necessary.

" My lord." came a voice behind him. The speaker was the source of surprise for Jon. But Jon knew his tale to be true. He turned around to and saw Godric standing there, along with Lady Chenlaw .

"My lord, I have gathered everyone as you commanded."

"Good, Lady Chenlaw, Marwyn, you may join them too. I and Godric will be there in a few moments" Jon said as the duo left, leaving Jon with Godric.

"I still can't believe he named his son, even an adopted one after a founder" Jon muttered to himself.

"Come Godric", Jon said as Godric approached him.

"My father used to tell us stories to us when we were young, legends of the greatest wizard the world has ever seen. The one who gave him his powers and immortality and he would always end the stories on a sad note and regret that we will never be able to meet you."

"Yet here we stand." Jon replied with a sad smile and continued,

"Neville was my dear friend. I have known him since his eleven names day. We fought side by side on numerous occasions. We bled for each other and when he was thrown in this world, I followed him here, even if it meant my death." Jon said absentmindedly staring across the horizon

"How did you end up with Neville?" he asked Godric.

"I and my brothers are adopted. As I am sure you might have figured it out, we were born in Lys. Father said he got us away from there when we were a few names-days old only."

"Well you look nothing like him. I would have never recognized you if not for your eyes. Golden eyes were the mark of the hybrids that were converted by Neville had. Also of course your name, do you know who was Godric Gryfindor?" Jon inquired.

"Yes, I always admired my father's world. It's people , legends like you and Dumbledore. It's weapons - being a smith at my core - I was fascinated by the wonders of that world. As for my name, my father named me after the founder of his house. He named one of my brother after his own father Frank and my other brother in your honour, Hadrian." He replied with a soft smile on his lips. Jon looked at him in surprise at the last part. He was surprised and a bit touched by Neville's action.

"That is not normal steel, is it?" Jon asked, deciding to change the topic.

"Its Qohoric steel. Though its enchantments are different, our father uses enchantments and runes from his world rather that the ones Qohoric use." Godric replied.

"It's a fine sword, although I doubt it is as strong as Valyrian steel."

"No, you cut my sword in two." Godric said.

"I also repaired it." Jon replied. A simple _repairo_ using The Elder Wand had done the job.

"Tell me more Godric, more about yourself, your brothers, about Neville." Jon asked

"Well I don't know much about father before he took us in. All I know is that he stayed in Qohor for some time learning their skills in forging. Although he claims he didn't really learn anything. Then he served in the lost legion as a warrior and smith. He rose through their ranks and became their commander. During this time my father had already converted everyone into a hybrid so that all of them would be loyal to him .however there were only twenty seven men, including me and my brother who are hybrids. The others are normal men, enhanced by father's bite. Except for my younest brother, he didn't want to become a hybrid. The lost legion does not have enough members compared to other companies, just a thousand men, but we have never lost. The legion was in Lys for a contract when my father found me and my brothers. We were born into slavery. We grew up in the legion. Of the three of us only me and my brother Frank have chosen to turn into a hybrid, which is why we have golden eyes. Hadrian however has chosen not to, which is why we are still young while he has grown."

"And your brothers?"

"Well my brother, Frank, is the second in command of the legion and commands the legion in our father's absence. I am the chief ranger and our youngest brother, Hadrian, is the captain of the smith division. However Hadrian is more skilled than both of us. He is very learned in the ways of potions, healing, languages and has learned the most from our father. He stays with us but he says his dream is to develop a school like the one in your own world."

"A school for wizards?"

"No. A school for everyone. I think father called it a university. I believe it is something like the citadel."

"That's a noble dream." Jon said as Marwyn came running towards them.

"Why would he not want to be a hybrid? Great powers, immortality, why would anyone refuse that?"

"You will that from have to ask him my lord, he has a long list of reasons." Godric replied , ending the conversation as Marwyn reached them.

"my lord" Marwyn said, panting.

"Yes Marwyn" Jon said.

"A message just came from our man in Lys, our plan did not go as we planned."

"What happened"

"Draught." he replied.

"What?"

"Yes my lord, within a month there will be scarcity of food in Lys, thousands will die within the next." Marwyn said

"That's troubling."

"Fret not my lord, this is not the first time Lys has been hit by a draught. They have always recovered. They have enough gold to buy food for years." Godric replied.

"That's the problem, my lord." Marwyn said and after a pause continued,

"In Lys, the slaves outnumber the free people three to one. It is the slaves who get the axe first because the nobility will not spend gold on them. Moreover the trading nobility themselves are in danger."

"What do you mean?"

"Bravos has refused to sell them anything unless they give up slavery and they have urged – in the most ardent and energetic words - Pentos to do the same. Myr and Tyrosh have joined hands with Volantis to conquer Lys. They have already contracted The Brave Companions and The Warrior Sons, and I have heard that Tyrosh is looking to employ the golden company. Volantis has extended the offer to the lost legion but they haven't accepted the contract yet. Marwyn finished as he gave a pointed look towards Godric.

"Come." Jon said as he led them towards his tent. Glex stood guard with another two of the Green-men. Jon motioned for Glex to follow him inside. He noticed Godric's expression upon noticing the inside of an enchanted tent.

They gathered around a table which had a large map of Westros and Essos on it. Jon conjured chairs for them all and they took their seats. Only Godric looked at the display of magic with awe, others had seen him perform more powerful feats of magic than that.

"Marwyn has some news to share with us all." Jon said to them as they all took

"Lys is in danger, it has been hit by a draught and Tyrosh and Myr have joined hands with Volantis to finish Lys off once and for all."

"What about other cities"

"Bravos and Pentos are out. Qarth, Mereen, Yunkai and Astapur are too far away, they won't be able to send food in bulk. From what our spy said, Lys intends to send envoys to Westros to seek aid. Although I don't think Westros is in the position to help them in any way, except for maybe The Reach. But right now no one has enough ships to send aid, especially since Reach and Riverlands are sending their surplus to us. Also I don't think anyone would want to get in between another war."

"This is troubling news." Killian said

"So Lys is alone right now?"

"Yes, however I might have a plan that will make sure we benefit from this situation." Jon said "but before that we have other matters to handle. Get denys Drumm."

Lady Chenlaw went out and returned a few moments later with The Drumm heir.

"So have you given my proposal any thought?" Jon inquired. Jon has discovered that the Drumm spawn was a wizard too, which was why he had spared him at Seagard. Later he had shown him his powers and told him about his own potential. To say the Drumm heir had been surprised was an understatement. He had sworn a magical wow of servitude and jon had marked him earlier. This charade was just to introduce him to others.

"My lord," he said as he knelt down "I will serve you till my last breath."

"Give me your hand." Jon said, to which he gave him his right hand.

"The other one." Jon said, to which the boy looked a bit ashamed and shyly offered him his handless arm. Jon raised The Elder Wand and waved it in complex pattern and silvery metal materialized out of thin air and morphed in the shape of a hand. He looked at the arm in surprise and flexed it a couple of times. And then looked at Jon in gratitude.

"You will be able to serve me better with both hands." Jon said. Just then a Titan came in, bowed and said,

"My lord a man claiming to be a Prince of Summer Island wishes to meet you."

"Marwyn." Jon said looking towards the maester regarding to know his input on this development.

"Jalabhar Xho, my lord, he is a Prince of the Red Flower Vale. He is an exiled prince from the Summer Isles residing in the Red Keep. He has petitioned the Iron Throne for aid in retaking his seat, the Red Flower Vale but so far had been rebuffed by The Queen and Lord Hand." He answered

"Why do you think he is here?" Uthor asked

"He is probably here to petition you the same." Marwyn replied

"Very well, send him in." Jon nodded and a few moments later, a dark, tall man entered. He wore an extravagant cape made of green and scarlet feathers. He bowed and said in an amber accent.

"The mighty Jon Snow, The Kraken-Slayer, Lord Paramount of The Iron Islands, it is an honour to meet you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Your Illustrious Highness."

The exiled prince stilled, seemingly lost for words, looking Jon in askance. Seeing it Jon elaborated,

"I know who you are, Jalabhar Xho, the exiled prince of The Red Flower Vale. I also know why you are here; to ask me to help you take back your kingdom. Correct me if I am wrong."

"You are absolutely correct, my lord." he replied after a brief moment of silence.

"What I would like to know, Your Illustrious Highness, is why?" Jon asked "Why should I help you? According to my information, you were defeated in a fair battle?"

"It is my birth right?" the foreigner replied, with a certain smidge of ego and pride.

"Your Illustrious Highness" jon said , his tone dripping with sarcasm " rights of even a monarch are ignored and at the same time strength of even a bastard is taken seriously. Every person in this room is a living breathing proof of it. So…"

"Because I was wronged." he said abruptly and then sighed.

"How so?" Malcom asked

"My uncle, my father's brother had my father assassinated when I was a boy of fifteen and when I ascended to the throne he challenged me. In summer isles warfare is highly ritualized, taking place on days and times chosen by their priests. Battles more closely resemble tourney melees in your Westeros. Two opposing teams of warriors meet at a battlefield chosen and consecrated in advance by our priests.

"I was a boy of fifteen, how was I supposed to defeat a man fully grown? I was defeated, my mother forced to my uncle's bed. Luckily my sister was a priestess and he could not do anything to her but he did kill my brother." Jalabhar finished, with rage – raw and primal of a predator wronged - burning in his eyes.

"You ask me why, I ask you why not?" he asked Jon.

"A reason as good as any that could be, Your Highness, but I am afraid your strategy is flawed." Jon said.

"How so, my lord?" the exiled prince asked.

"You want foreign military aid to overthrow you uncle but I ask you this, will you people accept you after that? No. You must defeat your uncle in a challenge."

"I won't be able to do it. He is too strong and I am not as skilled as him in close range combat. Give me a bow and I am one of the best but unfortunately bows are not allowed in challenges." He said , his arms flailing in annoyance

"I have a plan for that. I will train you. I will make stronger, so strong that you will not only get back Red Flower Vale but, you will also conquer all of the summer isles." Jon said

"Conquer all of the isles?" he asked in disbelief, "no one has even attempted to do that in centuries, let alone succeed."

"Oh but you will." Jon said , seriously this time " There is a power within you that you don't know of. I will help you harness that power, trust me."

"I don't know how to express my gratitude. Tell me my lord, what would you want in return for this aid." he said. Jon got up from his seat and approached the man and put his hands on his shoulders

"Your friendship will suffice my friend. I require nothing more in return. However I would ask one thing of you."

"Name it!"

"You will train with everything you have. Within six moons you will go to war." Jon replied and held his arms open and two hugged.

"Denys , escort His Illustrious Highness, to a tent. His and your training starts tomorrow, Glex will have a titan master and Uthor oversee your training., after which you will also ask maester Kilian for guidance " Jon said and the two left the tent and Jon took his seat back.

"May I ask you a question, my lord?" Marwyn asked.

"I think you just did Marwyn, but you may ask another?" Jon said with a fond smile. Channelling his former headmaster

"Is it wise, helping him out?"

"You ask this because you don't know something that I do. He is a wizard and it makes me wonder if Summer Islanders have more wizards than rest of the world, since they live relatively isolated from the rest of the world. Even if that's not the case, with Jalabhar as The King of The Summer Isles, we will not only have an ally outside of Westros, we will also have their untapped resources at our disposal. Moreover they have very talented shipwrights not to mention their Goldenheart bows. Which are vital for my plans regarding Lys." Jon said to which Marwyn bowed his head in response.

"Lady Chenlaw, how are the people? I hope the ration has been distributed amongst them."

"Yes my lord, the shipment from The Reach is supposed to arrive within a week. More and more people flock towards Great Wyk, not just from Iron Islands but from the mainland too. They are all getting paid as there is so much work to do here. Also my lord, many have turned towards The Old Gods for prayers, not all, but many."

"Good, I have to embark on a journey that might keep me away for a month." Jon said, "Lady Chenlaw, in my absence you will oversee the distribution of ration."

"Malcom, you will go to Harlaw and bring whatever remains of the people of Harlaw to Great Wyk" Jon commanded and Malcom left them to obey his command.

"Glex, I am leaving you in charge of the safety of the kingdom. Bring the Titans to their new home." Jon said

"My lord, I must ask, why did you spare Victarion Greyjoy?" Killian asked out of the blue

"Victarion Greyjoy is a capable naval commander, while I will not put him in charge of my fleet or any ship for that matter, he will train the other sailors. He will be best at it." Jon replied

"Now on to the next order of business, Godric, Volantis is looking to hire the lost legion to attack Lys. You will go back to Volantis and accept their offer and the gold. They will provide you with ships; try to get as many ships from them as possible. Then you will sail for Lys." Jon said.

"Yes my lord." Godric replied.

"Marwyn, how long do you think Tyrosh, Myr and Volantis will wait before launching an attack?"

"By my estimate, Tyrosh, impatient as they are, will send The Brave Companions within two fortnights and they will reach Lys within another fortnight. Lys would be able to hold them off with their sellswords but if Myr were to send The Second Sons too in the fray, I doubt they would be able to do much. The likely scenario is that they will occupy the two small islands that are around Lys, and will launch an attack from there."

"Well, let's hope I will be back by then. We will decide the next course of action then." Jon commented and he then turned towards Godric,

"Now, Godric, do you have any idea where Neville went?" Jon asked.

"No, my lord. One day, around thirteen years ago, he just told us that he had felt a magical connection somewhere in the west. We were in the slavers bay at that time. He was very excited, said something about an old companion. He left my brother in charge and took his fastest horse and rode west. We haven't heard from him since. We have tried to find him, but we never found even a trace. We know don't even know if he is alive for sure."

"Neville is completely capable of travelling alone in this world without any difficulty. He is the original hybrid wizard. His strength and skill are enough to defeat an entire army. Also he can't die. Trust me." Jon replied with a confident smirk.

"But I have to find my friend. Even if I have to venture to the end of the known world, I will. Will you help me Godric?" jon finished

"Yes my lord, anything. My father told us he swore an oath of servitude to you, I will honour his oath." Godric replied.

"Earlier, my connection with your father was very diluted. The connection was there but it was weak. It was the reason I couldn't perform the spell. Your connection with your father is also weak since you were adopted by him but he did perform a blood adoption ritual and also you were converted into a hybrid by him. Neville is linked to me, through his oath, to my magic. And he is linked to you through blood. Alone these connections won't be sufficient, but if we combine our connections to him I should be able to locate him." Jon informed him

"I am at your disposal."

"Good, give me your hand." Jon said as Godric gave him his hand and brought out a bronze dagger and a compass and cut Godric's wrist as Jon started chanting as blood poured in a goblet.

He pointed his wand a few drops rose from the goblet and settled on the compass and just as the drop came in contact with the compass he incanted

"Anta Cotis Syrum."

He muttered the spell again and again when on the seventh try the compass glowed blue and the needle started moving and settled in one direction; south west.

"The next spell is bit tricky so do not disturb me." Jon said as he flicked his wand and a drop of blood settled on his forehead and pointing his wand towards his closed eyes he muttered.

"Vitto Brosche Tarem Car Manifesto Fen."

This time the effect was immediate. He found himself in a dark location, it took him a few seconds to adjust to the dark and it was then he saw it; piles of gold as high as mountains, inside some sort of underground bunker and below them it was the life like golden statue of a huge dragon. He looked around and what he saw next left him breathless.

There, lying in its own ashes was a baby phoenix. It looked dead. More to the point, it looked petrified. It was at this point the spell started ended and in an instant he was back in his tent as he gasped for air.

But now Neville's abrupt departure from the legion made sense, he must have sensed the arrival of Fawkes into this world and must have left to look for him immediately.

"My lord" Marwyn said as Jon realized he was musing for too long. Godric was looking at him expectantly.

"I saw him" Jon said in a shaky breath. "He is alive but he will need help."

Everyone was looking at him with excitement, for they were witnessing the kind of powers only spoken in legends

"Let's pinpoint his location now" Jon said as he pulled out a map of the known world and poured the blood from goblet on the map and muttered,

"Phasmatos Tribum Nas Ex Veras."

The blood started roaming around and soon was reduced to a drop as it roamed around the map.

"Ole Heldhat Eina Odvozniti." He muttered the chant and blue flame like thread emerged from The Elder Wand and was slowly absorbed by the blood. The blood drop then turned golden in colour. Jon held his wand towards the map and incanted,

"Ementas Asten Mihan Ega Petous."

For a moment it seemed as if the spell had failed then slowly the golden drop started moving and this time it was not in random motion. It moved towards Volantis and then through the sea and then it stopped moving

"Oh fuck!" Godric softly swore.

"Holy shit!" Marwyn exclaimed.

"Impossible!" Lady Chenlaw said at the same time and Jon couldn't blame them, for only a fool would consider venturing to this place. No one has every returned back from there.

"Guess I will be accompanying you to Volantis, Godric" he said.

* * *

 **SO any guesses where Neville is?  
**

 **How was the chapter , please tell me in the reviews and if you have any query , feel free to ask in reviews or PM me.**

 **any suggestion regarding the story or any idea , is always welcome .  
if anyone has any idea for a new story , hit me with it.**

 **thanks a ton.**


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